More than half of all Irish consumers worry about the safety of the food they eat ­ but only 11% of those who produce and sell it believe food safety is their responsibility. That's the shock finding of a major survey conducted by the Irish Food Safety Authority and described by its chief executive, Dr Patrick Wall, as "extremely disturbing". Food safety ranked last out of six possible concerns which the survey team put to representatives of 19 sectors of the industry, from farmers and processors to manufacturers and retailers. They rated it less important than labour costs, staff shortages, cheap imports, increasing competition and theft. Only 11% of the 1,275 industry representatives surveyed felt they were primarily responsible for food safety, while 63% believed it was a matter for government and regulatory bodies. Wall voiced concern over such an attitude, pointing out that there was a legal onus on all involved in the industry to ensure the food they produced, marketed or sold was safe. "The bottom line is that the law firmly places responsibility for producing safe food with those involved throughout the chain, and it is alarming to find so many in the industry feel it is up to government or regulatory agencies," he said. On consumers, the survey found that more than half rated food safety a major worry, while a third had given up certain products, such as meat, because of their concerns. Most of the fears expressed were about "the unknown long-term effects of mass production", genetic modification, the public health impact of sprays and pesticides, and BSE. More than 30% believed Irish food safety had deteriorated over the past 10 years. {{NEWS }}