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Who inspects your food in Ireland?

The FSAI is in charge of enforcing food law, but most inspections are done by the HSE, the Department of Agriculture or the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. Here is who covers what.

Last reviewed: 18 October 2026

Most people assume the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) inspects restaurants. Usually it does not. The FSAI is responsible for food law being enforced, but most inspections are carried out by other public bodies working under contract to it.[1],[2]

The FSAI: in charge, mostly not on the ground

Under the FSAI Act 1998, the FSAI can make service contracts with other public bodies, called official agencies. Those agencies then carry out inspections on the FSAI's behalf.[2] The FSAI's main job is to coordinate and check that work.[1]

The FSAI does carry out some inspections itself, but they are a small share of the total.[4]

The official agencies under contract to the FSAI are:[3],[4]

  • the Health Service Executive (HSE)
  • the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)
  • the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)
  • the Marine Institute and the State Laboratory, which carry out food sampling
  • the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)

The HSE: restaurants, shops, stalls and more

For most people, the inspector who matters is an environmental health officer (EHO) from the HSE's Environmental Health Service.

The HSE supervises restaurants, delis, retailers, mobile food businesses, food stalls, some manufacturing premises and microbreweries.[5] It also covers retail sale of food generally, and food not of animal origin from import through to sale.[6]

Takeaways fall under the HSE too: in the FSAI's published enforcement reports, orders served on takeaways list the HSE as the issuing agency.[15]

Butcher shops register with their local HSE environmental health office, and an EHO is their inspector. A butcher that supplies other businesses may also need approval.[7]

The Department of Agriculture: meat, milk and eggs

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine covers food of animal origin, such as meat, milk and eggs, from the farm through slaughter, processing and distribution. It also checks imports of these products at the border.[6]

It supervises slaughterhouses and plants that process meat, dairy and eggs.[5]

What happened to local authority vets?

Older guides say county council veterinary services inspect small slaughterhouses and meat plants. That is now out of date.

In July 2024 the Government agreed to transfer that work to the Department of Agriculture.[12] The FSAI says that from 1 January 2025 the Department took on the staff and responsibilities of the 24 local authorities that had supervised these smaller meat businesses, leaving six official agencies.[4]

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: fish and shellfish

The SFPA covers fish and shellfish from harvesting through processing, wholesale and distribution.[6] It approves or registers businesses such as fish processors, shellfish purification and dispatch centres, auction halls and factory vessels.[11]

Home-based food businesses

Every food business must register before it starts trading, and that includes businesses run from home.[8] A home-based business registers with the HSE. If it makes products of animal origin, it may need approval rather than registration.[9]

The HSE says a new business must notify it before trading. An EHO assesses the notification, and the HSE can take action against food businesses that are not registered.[10]

Quick guide: who covers what

  • Restaurants, cafés, takeaways, delis, shops, food stalls, food trucks: HSE environmental health officers.[5],[15]
  • Butcher shops: HSE environmental health officers.[7]
  • Home-based food businesses: register with the HSE; some animal-product businesses need approval.[9]
  • Slaughterhouses, meat, dairy and egg plants: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.[4],[5]
  • Fish and shellfish businesses: Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.[5],[11]

Who can serve an enforcement order?

Both the FSAI and each official agency appoint authorised officers, who carry a warrant.[13] These officers can serve closure orders, prohibition orders and improvement notices, with an improvement order coming from the District Court.[14]

In 2025, the FSAI published details of 127 enforcement orders served by the official agencies or by the FSAI itself.[4] Read what each order means.

Sources

  1. 1.Enforcement and compliance · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  2. 2.Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1998, section 48 (service contracts) · Irish Statute Book
  3. 3.Service contracts · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  4. 4.Annual Report 2025 · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  5. 5.Competent authorities · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  6. 6.The structure and organisation of the official control system (MANCP) · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  7. 7.Butchers: legislation · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  8. 8.Register your food business · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  9. 9.Starting a food business in the home · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  10. 10.Notify the HSE about starting a food business · Health Service Executive
  11. 11.Seafood safety · Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority
  12. 12.Ministers announce transfer of official food controls undertaken by local authority veterinary services to DAFM · Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, gov.ie
  13. 13.Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1998, section 49 (authorised officers) · Irish Statute Book
  14. 14.Enforcement powers · Food Safety Authority of Ireland
  15. 15.Enforcement reports (published orders, with issuing agency) · Food Safety Authority of Ireland

Last reviewed: 18 October 2026. Links checked on that date; official pages may since have changed.