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New Zealand Food Safety Authority Statement of Mandate

September 2008

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s mandate is to protect consumers by providing an effective food regulatory programme covering food produced and consumed in New Zealand as well as imports and exports of food products.

In delivering this mandate, the Authority is to:

• engender high levels of trust and confidence in the New Zealand regulatory programme covering food and related products both domestically and internationally

• base risk management decisions designed to protect consumers on sound science and an evidence base, applying precaution when faced with scientific uncertainty

• apply the principles of openness and transparency

• engage with stakeholders including consumers and industry sectors

• minimise the costs of regulatory actions/interventions, recognising the economic benefits to domestic and export food businesses and the flow-on effects in consumer food prices

• communicate food risks, hygienic practices and nutritional information as far as these are known and relevant to the food supply and consumer behaviour

• recognise that there are New Zealand customs and practices that involve the non-commercial hunting, gathering and/or preparation of food where the public does not expect regulatory intervention

• utilise any capacity to improve business opportunities for domestic and export focussed food industries

• maintain the integrity of official assurances provided to importing countries’ governments

• work at the multilateral and bilateral level to ensure neither international standards nor importing country standards pose unjustified ‘technical barriers’ to trade

In pursuing this mandate the overriding priority will always be to protect consumers.

This page was last updated on 17 September 2008