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AgVetLink: Number 54, February 2006

Food reviews – Impact on the Approvals and ACVM Group

Domestic Food Review (DFR)

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is in the public consultation phase of a Domestic Food Review with Position Paper 8 in the series just released for public discussion. This Position Paper invites public comment on a comprehensive package of proposals for the future food regulatory programme, as might be recommended to the Government by NZFSA. There are currently nine projects concerned with the process of DFR consultation and the results of that consultation.

This is only the second time in the last 30 years that the Government’s role in the New Zealand domestic food sector has been critically examined at an official level. The last review was in the late 1980s, and led to the Food Amendment Act 1996 and eventually the establishment of NZFSA.

Imported Food Review (IFR)

New Zealand imports about 19 per cent of food by value and that proportion is increasing. In 2003 an external review of the NZFSA regime for imported food and food-related products was commissioned. This was the first such review since 1997 and during that time the responsibility for food safety shifted from the split MAF/Ministry of Health model to NZFSA.

The report of the review, which was to recommend cost-effective ways to improve the regime that regulates the importation of food into New Zealand with the focus on reducing illness, deaths and the other costs associated with unsafe food, was released in December 2004. Government’s response to the recommendations include two main projects with associated subprojects to be carried out during 2006/2007.

Impact on the NZFSA Approvals and ACVM Group

NZFSA Approvals and ACVM staff are involved in the approvals part of the DFR and IFR projects. Although these reviews are not concerned with the ACVM Act, our rationalisation and staff multiskilling approach has enabled some of our previously ACVM-dedicated staff to assist in this project work.