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6th July 2006
International Award for Pallas Foods highlights excellence in Food Safety and Traceability.
L-R, Commercial Director: Tadhg Geary, Quality Assurance Manager: Damien O'Dwyer, Managing Director: Tim Geary, and Dept. Agriculture and Food Minister: Brendan Smith.
Pallas Foods has achieved the Internationally recognised Food Safety Standard, ISO 22000:2005 - the first Food Service Distribution company in Ireland to receive this prestigious award. The Newcastle West company was formally presented with their award by Mr. Brendan Smith TD Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food with special responsibility for the Food Industry in Dublin on Tuesday.
Speaking at the presentation, Tadhg Geary, Commercial Director Pallas Foods, said that the achievement of the I.S.O. 22000 Standard is a clear indication of the company's commitment to Food Safety;
"Food safety is of the utmost importance to Pallas Foods and in getting this award, Pallas Foods is demonstrating a firm commitment to ensuring that the highest standards of food safety are employed in its day-to-day business delivering quality products to customers across the Island of Ireland" said Mr. Geary.
"With consumers demanding ever more stringent standards of food safety and quality, the achievement of this award is particularly pertinent at a time when the law is changing in relation to the new requirements for the labelling of country of origin of beef" continued Mr. Geary.
Pallas Foods have responded to the recent changes in the law in relation to the "country of origin" labelling of beef by introducing a unique peel-off labelling system which will facilitate the Food Service industry in fulfilling their obligations under the new regulations.
In conjunction with their beef partners, A.I.B.P., Pallas Foods have developed a premium brand of beef for supply to the Food Service industry across the Island of Ireland.
"Steak House Select" is a range of over 60 beef products - all exclusively Irish - which has been developed specifically for the catering industry.
"The new Country of Origin of beef Regulations require that the country of origin of the beef consumers are eating is declared on menus, advertisements or other presentations. Food Business Operators must also record the Country of Origin of beef and maintain those records for inspection for at least two years" said Tadhg Geary, who went on to say that the unique peel off label, which is now being rolled out across the entire beef range of Pallas Foods, will facilitate accurate record keeping and provide clear information for restaurateurs and in turn provide consumers with the information they are entitled to.
The I.S.O. Standard defines the requirements of a food safety management system covering all organisations in the food chain from "farm to fork". It combines generally recognised key elements to ensure food safety along the food chain including: interactive communication, system management, control of food safety hazards through pre-requisite programmes and HACCP plans, and continual improvement.
Speaking at the presentation of the I.S.O. Certificate to Pallas Foods, Minister Brendan Smith congratulated Pallas Foods and its beef partner A.I.B.P. on its innovation in marketing Irish beef both on the Island of Ireland and abroad and stressed that this represented a clear example of how to combine best practice in food safety and traceability to underpin consumer confidence in Irish beef.
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