Ballymaguire Foods has appointed Dr Patrick Wall to lead its response team dealing with the massive recall of its prepared meals products and the listeriosis outbreak linked to it.
One adult has died and there were nine cases of the disease confirmed by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on Tuesday.
Ballymaguire Foods, a sister company of Country Crest, said it was “deeply aware that people have been impacted by consuming its freshly prepared meals. We acknowledge the concern and anxiety that this has caused and are treating it with the utmost seriousness.”
All its products have been withdrawn, production suspended and a full pharmaceutical-grade clean-down of the site commenced.
Response
“To further strengthen our response, we have appointed Dr Patrick Wall, former chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, former chairperson of the European Food Safety Authority and former professor of public health at University College Dublin, to lead our dedicated and experienced response team,” the company said.
“The team has a singular focus: to fully and effectively resolve this matter. It is doing so in close collaboration with the relevant public health authorities. Production at the affected facility will only recommence once the relevant authorities are satisfied.
“Dr Wall and the team is overseeing all aspects of the review, including implementation of any necessary enhanced procedures.
"Its remit also includes evaluating experiences with similar incidents and identifying and replicating best practices from other jurisdictions to inform and strengthen our long-term approach to food safety.
“We sincerely apologise for the concern this may cause. As we have stated, incidents of this nature are exceptionally rare and we are treating this with the utmost seriousness.
"We are acting decisively and transparently to protect public health which is of paramount importance to us,” Ballymaguire Foods said.
SHARING OPTIONS