Education « Thurles Information

FSAI Publishes Guidance Note On Food Safety Culture.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today published a new Guidance Note on Food Safety Culture, which aims to support food businesses in meeting their legal requirements to establish and maintain an appropriate food safety culture in their business. This new resource will assist food businesses in embedding food safety into their everyday practices and will also provide a framework for inspectors to assess food safety culture during inspections.

To produce safe food, behaviour and awareness must align with safe food practices. Food safety culture encompasses how everyone, including managers and employees, think and act in their job on a consistent basis. It reflects the commitment to food safety at every step and within every role. The Guidance Note contains practical tools such as a self-assessment checklist and questionnaires to help businesses evaluate their own culture and prepare for inspections.

By increasing awareness and adopting safe food behaviours, an appropriate food safety culture can:

Maintain high food safety and hygiene standards and regulatory compliance.
Aid in keeping consumers safe from foodborne illness.
Increase transparency and improve communication among all employees.
Help prevent problems that results from unsafe food.

Mr Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, said: “Having the right food safety knowledge and skills is not just a regulatory requirement; it is essential for building and sustaining an appropriate food safety culture within a food business. This reduces food safety incidents, protects public health and also strengthens consumer trust and brand reputation. Our new Guidance Note is designed to support businesses in meeting their legal obligations while embedding best practices that safeguard consumers and support a stronger, safer food system. We encourage all food business operators to make full use of this new resource and commit to promoting a positive food safety culture.”

The FSAI’s Learning Portal also has a training module on food safety culture to assist food businesses that can be used in tandem with the Guidance Note.

Under an amendment to EU Regulation 852/2004, all food businesses with the exception of primary producers are now required to establish, maintain, and provide evidence of an appropriate food safety culture, taking in account the size and nature of the food business.

Guidance Note on Food Safety Culture HERE

Medicinal Product In Various Life Extension Food Supplements.

Medicinal product (melatonin) not permitted in food products present in various Life Extension food supplements.

Alert Summary dated Thursday October 2nd 2025

Category 1: For Action.
Alert Notification: 2025.53.
Product Identification: Please see table below.
Batch Code: All batch codes and all best before dates.

Message: The below Life Extension food supplements contain melatonin, a medicinal product which should only be taken when prescribed by a medical professional. In Ireland, melatonin is regulated as a medicinal product when authorised by the Health Products Regulatory Authority and it is not permitted in food supplements available on the Irish market.

Product.	Pack size.
Fast-Acting Liquid Melatonin.	59ml.
Melatonin IR/XR.	60 capsules.
Melatonin 1 mg.	60 capsules.
Melatonin 6 Hour Timed Release.	60 vegetarian capsules.
Melatonin 3 mg.	60 vegetarian capsules.

Nature Of Danger: In Ireland, melatonin is a prescription medication, is not authorised in food and should only be taken under medical supervision. Use with caution if you have depression, bleeding disorders, high blood pressure, or seizure disorders. Common side effects can include drowsiness, headaches, vivid dreams and confusion. Avoid driving or operating machinery after taking melatonin
There remain concerns about its long-term effects when used by children.

Action Required: Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Distributors, Caterers & Retailers:

Retailers and Online Sellers: Same are requested to remove the implicated products from sale.

Consumers: Consumers are advised not to consume the implicated products.

Deeply Saddened By Passing Of Conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, DBE.

We are deeply saddened to share the news that Dr Jane Goodall, DBE (1934–2025), has passed away at the age of 91. Her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees forever changed science, while her voice for conservation, climate action, and youth empowerment has inspired millions worldwide. Her legacy endures through the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots.

The Jane Goodall Institute, founded in 1977, in announcing her passing yesterday stated “Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, became a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”

Dr Goodall, an extraordinary scientist, conservationist, and humanitarian, sadly died yesterday, October 1st 2025, at the age of 91 years.
Her death, due to natural causes, occurred while she was in California, U.S., participating in a speaking tour. Her passing now marks the close of a life that enriched science, inspired millions, and transformed how humanity understands and cares for the natural world.

A Legacy Beyond Measure.

Born on April 3rd 1934, in London, England, Dr Jane Goodall’s lifelong love of animals and wild places led her to Tanzania in 1960, where she established the world’s longest-running field study of chimpanzees at Gombe National Park. Over decades, her immersive and empathetic approach yielded startling discoveries: chimpanzees make and use tools, exhibit intricate social relationships, and display emotional complexity. Her work broke down the long-held wall between “human” and “animal” and reframed ethology itself.

In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), an international organization that continues field research, supports conservation projects, and champions community-based sustainable practices across Africa and beyond. In 1991 she launched Roots & Shoots, a global youth-oriented environmental and humanitarian program, active now in many dozens of countries.

Throughout her life, Dr Goodall was a tireless advocate, not only for chimpanzees but for the entire planet. Appointed UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, she addressed issues ranging from habitat destruction and climate change to animal welfare and youth empowerment. Even in her later years, she traveled extensively, gave talks, and used new media (such as her “Hopecast” podcast) to share a message of hope and urgent action.

Her work was widely recognized: she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE), received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025), the Templeton Prize (2021), and numerous other honours.

Her spirit lives on in the institutions she built, the young people she inspired, and the planet she fought to protect. JGI and Roots & Shoots will continue her work, safeguarding ecosystems, enabling local communities to lead, and cultivating hope in future generations.

In this time of mourning, we invite all who hold Jane’s ideals dear to renew our joint commitment: that curiosity, empathy, and action can yet transform the future of life on Earth.

Dr Goodall is survived by her son Hugo van Lawick and three grandchildren.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

Safety Alert

🚨 Safety Alert – Batteries + Recycle bins = 🔥 Fire danger!

It should be noted that when batteries (including those in vapes, e-cigs & rechargeable devices) end up in household or business bins, they can ignite and cause fires in collection trucks, storage facilities and even in your own home.
⚠️ This puts lives at risk, damages equipment and disrupts waste services.
✅ Do the safe thing:
❌ Never put batteries, vapes or electricals in your bins.
🔋 Store batteries separately.
📍 Use drop-off points for safe disposal.
Most Supermarkets have battery disposal units.
✅ So “Be a recycling hero 💚♻️”

Keep our community safe. ♻️💚

The Broken Windows Of Our River – Tipperary’s Neglect & Silent Shame.

Criminologists talk of the Broken Windows Theory: leave a single pane shattered, a wall sprayed with graffiti, and the message spreads – this place is abandoned, rules don’t matter. Soon the small disorder becomes a flood of crime.

Look now to our River Suir. The same theory holds true, only here the broken windows are plastic and glass bottles bobbing downstream, slurry running through drains, domestic bags dumped along the river banks. And just as in streets, once the first act of neglect is ignored, worse inevitably follows. A trickle of pollution becomes a torrent.

**Latest piece of unwanted rubbish dumped on the bank of the river Suir in Thurles town centre – the rear wheel of a bicycle complete with gear cogs**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned again and again: almost half of our rivers are failing “good” ecological standards. Angling and environmental groups document salmon streams destroyed, trout waters suffocated, heritage fisheries reduced to open sewers. Yet still we tolerate the first offences the bags of rubbish, the secret pipes, the dead fish floating, until whole waterways are written off.

**Supermarket trollies return to the riverbed again last Monday, following the last token cleanup by Thurles Municipal District Council**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*

Tipperary County Councils are quick to boast of their fight against “illegal dumping,” yet their record speaks otherwise. The fines exist on paper, but enforcement is rare. Too often, councillors look the other way when it is slurry or effluent from within their own patch. The public see it, the farmers see it, the children fishing off the river bank see it, and the message spreads: “pollute with impunity“.

This is Ireland’s broken window. And it is not just glass we are leaving unfixed—it is the very arteries of our countryside. Polluted rivers strip local people of pride, crush community guardianship, and invite still more damage. They tell residents: this place doesn’t matter.

We cannot rebuild pride in our environment, while allowing rivers to become open rubbish tips. Every plastic bag, every barrel of waste, every illegal pipe is a window smashed in the face of the community. Ignore it, and the damage multiplies. Confront it, and the message changes: this river matters, Thurles community matters.

The question is simple: will Tipperary County Council, and indeed Ireland as a whole, repair that first broken window – or will we stand by as the whole house falls down?