Scientists urged to co-operate more on food safety research

European and US scientists should co-operate more on issues of food safety research in an effort to overcome differences of expert opinion which confuse consumers and fuel mistrust, according to Dr Patrick Wall of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

In a keynote address to an international conference on "Emerging Issues in Food Safety", which opened in UCC last night, Dr Wall said that in many instances consumer concerns relating to food were unjustified, "but at the same time cannot be overlooked" by researchers.

While there was a difference between public perception and professional viewpoints, scientists had to provide reassurance backed by research. Two obvious concerns within the European context were GM foods - which, he said, had many people "over-worried" - and hormones used in beef production. Specifically, the US needed to accept the depth of unease on these issues among EU consumers.

By addressing such concerns, the potential for mistrust of scientific opinion would be reduced, trade disputes would be kept to a minimum and the biggest global food safety problem, that of poor hygiene, could be effectively addressed, he said.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture and the Irish Department of Agriculture and hosted by the UCC Faculty of Food Science and Technology.

The US-Ireland Co-operation Programme in Agricultural Science and Technology could be a useful mechanism to facilitate the transatlantic food safety co-operation, Dr Wall suggested. Food safety issues and their complex relationship with trade would not go away, he said. The big issues of ensuring traceability, verifiable standards, more extensive monitoring of all stages of the food chain and the deployment of "rapid diagnostics" were all being effectively addressed.

The simpler issue, however, of ensuring good hygiene, was not and this was contributing to global increases in food-borne illness. Food poisoning outbreaks were preventable and more research was not needed before introducing meaningful control measures centring on good hygiene and proper training.

Real threats in the form of emerging pathogens and population demographics meant a greater proportion of people were vulnerable to food-borne infection than in the past (due to compromised immune systems or longevity).

The way forward, he said, was "long-term partnerships based on trust and loyalty between retailers, processors and producers" and public education in a climate fostering consumer confidence.

The four-day conference is to evaluate the latest trends on major food-poisoning microbes such as E.coli 0157, salmonella, and listeria - and new strategies for surveillance and control of the most troublesome bugs.