Dairygold and Glanbia are two of six leading food and nutrition companies taking part in the Sequencing Alliance for Food Environments (SAFE) programme.

The SAFE programme aims to develop new food safety and quality decision-making software toolbox to mitigate against the risk of bacterial contamination in the food supply chain in a smarter, faster and in a more specific and sustainable way.

Organisers of the project say that the current methods being used to control bacteria are insufficient and using large amounts of energy, water and chemicals.

Other companies in the programme include Dawn Farm Foods, Mead Johnson Nutrition and Nutrition Supplies, Kerry, and Creme Global.

Taking the global lead

Researchers at UCD will track the environments in a number of food manufacturing plants in Ireland belonging to the industry partners over a two-year period.

Some of the plants include infant formula grade ingredient plants, and a cooked and fermented meat processing plant.

UCD professor of food safety Séamus Fanning said this programme would position researchers and the Irish food industry at the forefront of surveillance with the potential to use this data to control their production environments and protect their consumers.

Director of research and innovation at Enterprise Ireland Gearóid Mooney said it is necessary for Ireland to take a “global lead on the development of quality management and traceability technologies within our food manufacturing facilities.”