Questions

212. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the guidelines that have been produced by her Department to ensure food safety standards are upheld by hot school meal providers; the number of inspections that have taken place of hot school meal providers in the past three years; and the findings and responses made by her Department, in tabular form. [74838/26]

213. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health if her Department has been informed of any closures or concerns about hot school meal providers by the food safety authority Ireland; if so, when; and the response of her Department. [74837/26]

263. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the guidelines that have been produced by her Department to ensure food safety standards are upheld by hot school meal providers; the number of inspections that have taken place of hot school meal providers in the past three years; and the findings and responses of her Department, in tabular form. [74839/26]

1079. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has assessed the potential impact of the proposed limits on the strength, availability and affordability of supplements currently sold in Ireland, particularly vitamin D, vitamin C and magnesium; and whether she will publish any such assessment. [74081/26]

1080. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to outline Ireland’s position on proposed EU maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements; which bodies represent Ireland in the relevant PAFF Committee discussions; and the timetable for consideration and adoption of these measures. [74077/26]

4019. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health the number of premises serving food that were inspected by the FSA in 2025 and 2026; the number that were deemed unhygienic; and the number of premises serving food in total are potentially subject to inspections, by local authority area. [58574/26]

481. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health in light of the food safety recalls issued by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) to date in 2026, the number of recalls issued in 2026 and in each of the previous three years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54584/26]

482. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health the reason for the apparent increase in food recalls from the market to date in 2026 compared with previous years; whether her Department is examining the causes of this increase and engaging with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54585/26]

813. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the scientific validation undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in respect of the laboratory methods relied upon for the detection of salmonella typhimurium in duck flocks; whether those methods have been independently validated for use in ducks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51400/26]

814. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health whether following recent court proceedings concerning salmonella testing in poultry, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has reviewed the reliability of the sampling, testing and chain-of-custody procedures relied upon in enforcement actions involving duck flocks; if such a review has been completed, if she will publish the findings; and if she will make …

815. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has commissioned, or intends to commission, an independent scientific review of the evidence underpinning its risk assessments relating to salmonella in duck flocks, including the laboratory methodologies employed and the epidemiological evidence relied upon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51402/26]

816. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the role that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland plays in advising the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine before compliance notices, prohibition notices, product seizures or flock destruction are undertaken in cases involving suspected salmonella infection; and whether the FSAI independently verifies the scientific evidence relied upon before…

817. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has reviewed whether the ongoing Department-funded research into salmonella control in duck production has identified any uncertainties regarding existing sampling, laboratory testing or risk assessment methodologies; and whether any interim findings have resulted in changes to current enforcement or regulatory pract…

698. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if she has been made aware of upcoming proposals from the European Commission to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in fortified food and supplements; whether her Department has engaged with the Commission on the matter; and if so to provide details on these engagements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47044/26]

699. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment on the European Commission proposals to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in fortified foods and supplements; to provide details of the plans for advice and support for health shops and other affected retailers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47045/26]

852. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health further to the recall of infant formula products in January 2026 due to contamination with the toxin cereulide, the testing requirements that now apply for the detection of cereulide in infant formula placed on the market in the State, noting that the European Food Safety Authority established an acute reference dose for cereulide corresponding to a product…

853. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the expected timeline for the introduction and implementation of the State of the European Union legislation, currently in draft and reported for adoption in the first quarter of 2027, which will require mandatory checks for cereulide in infant formula; the interim measures in place in the State pending that legislation; and if she will make a statement on …

854. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has verified that retailers displayed point-of-sale recall notices for the infant formula products recalled in January 2026 due to the potential presence of cereulide; the outcome of any such compliance checks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47710/26]

528. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will address concerns raised by health store owners (details supplied) regarding the proposed EU maximum amounts for vitamins and minerals in food supplements; if she will outline her position on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46717/26]

2201. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that glycerol-containing slush ice drinks are being sold without point-of-sale warnings at retail locations across Ireland, contrary to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advice of 26 May 2026, which recommends that retailers selling unpackaged slush ice drinks containing glycerol display permanent warnings stating that the product is not…

2202. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether she will consider making mandatory the point-of-sale warning requirements currently set out as voluntary guidelines in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advice of 26 May 2026, which recommends that retailers selling unpackaged glycerol-containing slush ice drinks display permanent warnings that the product is not recommended for children aged te…

2203. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the enforcement measures that are being put in place to ensure compliance with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advice of 26 May 2026 regarding the sale of glycerol-containing slush ice drinks to children aged ten and under; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43263/26]

2204. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether she will consider introducing a statutory prohibition on the sale of glycerol-containing slush ice drinks to children aged ten and under, given the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advice of 26 May 2026, that such drinks can cause glycerol intoxication syndrome including severe symptoms such as hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness in children in…

334. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the Food Safety Authority has carried out any testing on beef that has been imported from South America in each of the past five years; if so, to publish the result of that testing; and if not, the reason, given the EU is about to ban Brazilian beef. [38520/26]

297. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if she or the Food Safety Authority have concerns regarding Brazilian beef being sold and consumed in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38251/26]