The STMs were on:

• Food Hygiene and Flexibility
• Microbiological shelf-life studies of ready-to-eat foods related to Listeria monocytogenes

The topics for the STMs were selected to address specific findings from SANTÉ F missions and as the most in-demand courses by inspectors in Ireland. The content of the two training courses was tailored to Irish needs and in each course, there was a subject matter expert from Ireland as a tutor on the course. This allowed the tailoring of the course to focus on the needs of inspectors in Ireland in the field, which included reflecting bespoke situations in the exercises, workshops and case studies. Feedback from the inspectors on each course was very positive.

The STMs in Ireland, allowed 116 inspectors across five agencies working in official control of food to access the in-depth training provided on these topics.

Some feedback is as follows

Those who attended the STMs will disseminate the learnings to their colleagues, with a view to strengthening and supporting official controls in these areas.

“It was very beneficial to meet with each other and with inspectors from other Irish official agencies and to share experiences.”

“The content was challenging but interesting and the tutors encouraged all participants to engage in discussions. We did exercises in small groups and this helped delegates to engage with each other. There was useful transfer of knowledge between delegates in these sessions.”

“This was a very well-run course and lovely to have it in Ireland. That was excellent and the networking aspect with other agencies within Ireland was invaluable.”