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Food safety for sausage sizzle fund-raisers to be based on education

22 December 2005

As the New Zealand Food Safety Authority puts the finishing touches to its extensive review of the country’s outdated food regulations and their coverage, it can confirm that it is intending to propose that for fund-raising events such as sausage sizzles and bring-a-plate functions, the focus will be on education.

“These icons of our Kiwi lifestyle are important to our communities and for those running them an educational approach is the way to go,” says NZFSA Executive Director Andrew McKenzie.

“We are proposing education over specific requirements. We want the focus to be on ensuring that anyone who wants to run fund-raising cake stalls, sausage sizzles or bring-a-plate functions and the like, is able to do so with the best information available on how to do so safely.”

The latest consultation paper on NZFSA’s Domestic Food Review – a blueprint for streamlining the country’s myriad food regulations – is to be published in the New Year.

Domestic Food Review – Position Paper describes NZFSA’s vision for the future food regulatory system. It takes into account written and oral submissions received on the previous seven papers. A third round of workshops will be held around the country in February to gauge public opinion on the proposals put forward.

Dr McKenzie adds: “This third round of consultation is our way of ensuring we capture both the industry view and the community expectations about government involvement in the production and sale of food in New Zealand. It’ll help us develop a regime that delivers a level of food safety that the public wants and expects.”

Copies of the position paper, a summary version and workshop dates and venues will be available on NZFSA’s website in the New Year. Submissions on the position paper will be accepted until late April.

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For further comment contact: Andrew McKenzie, NZFSA Executive Director: 04 463 2502
or 021 430 187.

For further information contact: Diane Robinson, Senior Communications Adviser: 04-463 2528 or 021 193 6405.