1. FSANZ – Reflections & Update on Current Priorities
Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology
FSANZ – Reflections & Update on Current Priorities
Mark Booth
Chief Executive Officer
Food Standards Australia New Zealand

2. Today’s menu
Who we are?
First impressions
Current work
Where next?

3. About Us We are a bi-national, statutory agency
Our main function is to develop and administer the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
We also do a lot of bi-national coordination
(eg. surveillance, food recalls)
We provide scientific and technical advice (eg. imported food)
Not responsible for enforcement – or food policy

5. Food regulatory framework
Standard setting
FSANZ
Policy
Forum on Food Regulation
(Ministers)
Enforcement
States and territories
NZ MPI
DAWR (imported foods)

6. Changing technology – e.g. NBTs
Some Reflections
A complex system
A system that works
Over 20 years old
Changing technology – e.g. NBTs
Links between food system & health system
Is it fit-for-purpose
Leadership?

7. A New World

8. Drivers for change strategic context
Increasing globalisation of the food supply chain
Growing pace of technological change
More pressure for reduced regulation and greater recognition of international standards
Rapid proliferation of ‘real time’ information about food
Growing concern about diet-related contributions to increased prevalence of lifestyle diseases
Fiscal constraints on government agencies .

9. FSANZ’S response to change
Our Strategic Intent
Positioning FSANZ as
a trusted source of advice on food
a leader in its areas of expertise
the source of wisdom on emerging risks
deeply engaged with stakeholders
effective and efficient
Plus
Examining FSANZ’s role in the system
Where do we need to be?

10. Current work

11. Ministerial Priorities
Reducing foodborne illness, particularly related to Campylobacter and Salmonella
To support the public health objectives to reduce chronic disease related to overweight and obesity
To maintain a strong, robust and agile food regulation system that gives confidence to consumers that their food is safe, and that the system can manage new and innovative industry approaches.

12. Food safety culture is shared values, beliefs, and norms that affect mindset and behaviours towards food safety across/ in/ throughout an organisation.

13. National resources
Food Safety Culture Partnership

14. P1024 – “Nuts and Novels”
Nutritive substances and novel foods are currently subject to detailed review by FSANZ
This standard impacts significantly on R&D and innovation in the food sector – high value ingredients and extracts
We are looking to empower the food industry and have clearer pathways to market for new products

15. What’s the Problem?
Foods without history of safe human consumption in Australia and New Zealand – do they need pre-market approval?
Prohibited by Code – unless specific permission.
Current Code provisions create uncertainty.
Provisions include ambiguous terms.
Potential for foods to be placed on market without appropriate pre-market assessment.
Very difficult to enforce.

16. P1034 – Packaging
Borne out of concerns that we weren’t ‘ahead of the science’ as per the consumer-driven response to BPA This proposal assessed the science & risk around the migration of range of chemicals from packaging Phthalates have been looked at in detail Risk is low & the regulatory response is proportionate Oct 12 FSANZ announced that P1034 will be abandoned - no rule changes

17. The GM food approval process
Standard – Food produced using gene technology establishes a pre- market assessment and approval system and imposes mandatory labelling requirements
GM foods must be approved before they can be sold or used in ANZ
Approved GM foods listed in Schedule 26 of the Standard
Pre-market assessment is based on core principles and guidelines established by:-
Codex Alimentarius Commission
OECD
FAO
The pre-market assessment approach has been internationally accepted and has withstood scientific scrutiny since it’s adoption in the mid-1990s

18. Approvals of foods derived from GM crops
Since 2000 …
Majority of foods or food ingredients that are likely to enter the Australia and New Zealand food supply will be imported
Only some canola and cotton varieties have been licensed for cultivation in Australia
Licenses for cultivation granted by the OGTR
No applications have been received for foods from GM animals
Crop
Number
Canola 5
Corn 27
Cotton 14
Lucerne 2
Potato 4
Rice 1
Soybean 16
Sugarbeet
Total 71

19. Recent trends in GM food applications
Most common traits targeted in GM food crops have been herbicide-tolerance and insect-resistance  benefit the farmer
Number of events
New traits  benefit the consumer
Innate potato – modified product quality  low asparagine and reducing sugars  low acrylamide formation in hot chips and crisps
Golden rice – modified product quality  altered nutritional content (added beta-carotene)

20. Thanks for your attention
Copyright
© Food Standards Australia New Zealand 2017
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21. SO this busy picture represents how we work and the various inputs.
FSANZ operates using an internationally recognised risk analysis framework – this consists of 3 components
Risk assessment
Risk management
Risk communication
Each of these components relies on various inputs
Risk Assessment uses available scientific evidence to fully understand the risk to PH & S
Risk management uses information (often provided through consultation) to identified and consider other issues and risks such as social and economic risks. The policy direction, views and experiences of affected parties is considered.
Both RA and RM are overlaid with appropriate communication of any identified risks.
Important to note that risk assessment and risk management are separate functions within FSANZ, as recommended by Codex. Risk managers define the questions that need answering by the risk assessors.
In practice, the risk analysis process is an iterative one between risk assessors and risk managers, overlayed by effective risk communication which has as much to do with getting opinions and attitudes of stakeholders into the agency as getting messages out.
Through this process decision making on the most appropriate regulatory measure or standard occurs.
All the black text in the inputs generally involves some kind of evidence
WTO
Codex
OBPR
Why these are so important