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Food Importer Standards Guidance

Helpful Terms

Chief executive means the chief executive of NZFSA.

Clearance: The accomplishment of border formalities necessary to allow goods to enter New Zealand. NZFSA clearance may occur prior to importation (pre-clearance arrangement with exporting country) through to post-border clearance (product released to the importer by NZFSA with conditions). NZFSA is in effect providing a ‘Clearance’ for the product to be sold, not a clearance to enter the country as occurs with Customs and Biosecurity.

Food is defined in the Food Act 1981 to mean anything that is used or represented for use as food or drink for human beings; and includes:

a. Any ingredient or nutrient or other constituent of any food or drink, whether that ingredient or nutrient or other constituent is consumed or represented for consumption by human beings by itself or when used in the preparation of or mixed with or added to any food or drink; and

b. Anything that is or is intended to be mixed with or added to any food or drink; and

c. Chewing gum, and any ingredient of chewing gum, and anything that is or is intended to be mixed with or added to chewing gum.

Food safety systems: Also known as food safety control programme, food safety management systems. Food safety systems are documents which describe good manufacturing practices (GMP) or Good agricultural practice (GAP) and management practices and procedures to ensure that food products are consistently produced to meet specifications and customer expectations.

Components of a food safety system should cover design of premises and equipment, training and personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitising, purchase and acceptance of incoming materials, manufacture and process control, repairs maintenance and calibration, waste management, pest control, warehousing, transport and distribution, temperature control, etc. These systems should also have provision for handling customer complaints, product recall, documentation and record keeping.

Importer is defined in the Food Act 1981 to mean any person by or for whom any goods are imported; and includes the consignee of any goods; and also includes any person who is or becomes:

a. The owner of any goods; or

b. Entitled to the procession of any goods; or

c. Beneficially interested in any goods – on or at any time after the importation of these goods and before they have ceased to be subject to the control of Customs in accordance with the Customs and Excise Act 1996.

NZFSA means the department of state known as the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

Product Specification: the criteria to which a product must conform in terms of quality, labelling, price etc. The measurable levels and tolerances of characteristics which influence the level of risk associated with each product. Sometimes known as a Manufacturer’s Declaration (of Conformity to Specification). A Product Specification may include:

• name and brief description of the product

• name and address of manufacturer

• list of ingredients, nutritional information, storage conditions and shelf life details

• physical and chemical characteristics to which the product must conform, such as composition, pH, % salt, % moisture, microbiological limits, foreign matter etc

• product declarations relating to certain parameters such as preservatives, pesticide residues, allergen presence, GMO status etc

• manufacturing food safety standards such as adherence to good manufacturing practices, operating under certified HACCP programme, operating under internationally recognised program, approved thermal processing standard etc.

Sale is legally defined in the Food Act 1981 and without being a substitute for that for sale generally means selling for human consumption or use and includes selling for resale for human consumption or use. The term ‘use’ means any use in connection with the preparation or packing of food for human consumption.

Supply Contract: A documented agreement between the purchaser (importer) and supplier outlining terms and conditions of supply and payment and specifying requirements related to product and delivery.

Updated 26 November 2008