The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) was established under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998. This Act was enacted in July 1998 and came into effect on 1st January 1999.
The principal function of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is to take all reasonable steps to ensure that food consumed, produced, distributed or marketed in the State meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene reasonably available and to ensure that food complies with legal requirements, or where appropriate with recognised codes of good practice.
The Authority is a statutory, independent and science-based body, dedicated to protecting public health and consumer interests in the area of food safety and hygiene. It comes under the aegis of the Minister for Health and currently has a board of ten. It also has a 15 member Scientific Committee that assists and advises the Board. Therefore, decisions relating to food safety and hygiene take account of the latest and best scientific advice and information available.