TENTH MEETING
Wellington, New Zealand
3-4 March 2004
SUMMARY OF KEY OUTCOMES
Food Standards Matters
Application A474 – Winemaking
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to amend wine regulations in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Application A485 – Extension of Stock-in-Trade Provisions for Wine
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to indefinitely extend the two-year, long shelf like stock-in-trade provisions, to wine and wine products, bottled prior to the 2003 vintage and labelled with a vintage date. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P285 – Minor Amendments to Standard 2.9.1 – Infant Formula Products
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to make minor corrections to Standard 2.9.1 to rectify the inadvertent omission of sodium selenate as a permitted form of selenium and to clarify permissions for the L-amino acid ‘cysteine’. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Application A495 – Polydextrose as Dietary Fibre
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to amend Standard 1.2.8 to recognise Polydextrose polymer as a dietary fibre by including a specific method of analysis for dietary fibre in foods containing polydextrose. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Application A497 – MRLs (April, May, June, July 2003)
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to amend Maximum Residue Limits for non-antibiotic agricultural and veterinary chemicals. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P256 – Review of Kava
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for a Proposal seeking approval for a review of the current standard that regulates Kava. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P257 – Advice on the Preparation of Cassava Products & Bamboo Shoots
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for a Proposal to assess the potential safety risks associated with consumption of bamboo shoots, which contain cyanogenic glycosides. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P264 - Review of Gluten Claims with Specific Reference to Oats and Malt
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for a Proposal which considers the need to amend Standard 1.2.8, clause 16 to clarify the intent of the Standard to ensure that in providing protection for consumers with gluten intolerance, that scientific evidence is reflected both in terms of the toxicity of specific cereals and current analytical methodology for detecting gluten in foods. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Board’s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P237 - Country of Origin Labelling - Request for Abandonment and Options for New Initial Assessment Report
The Board considered the abandonment of P237 and the recommendation to raise a new revised proposal in order to finalise the Review of Country of Origin Labelling. The Board agreed to the proposed recommendations including raising a new proposal to consider this matter further.
Proposal P277 – Review of Processing Aids (other than enzymes)
The Board considered the Initial/Draft Assessment Report for a Proposal which seeks to review Standard 1.3.1 – Processing Aids, excluding enzymes. This proposal would allow interested parties to provide new scientific evidence regarding the safety of processing aids, make suggestions to correct any errors, review nomenclature, remove duplications and anomalies, improve consistency between this Standard and the rest of the Code and improve the general operation and function of the Standard. The Board agreed to the Initial/Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Proposal P284 – Minor Amendments Omnibus No 5
The Board considered the Initial/Draft Assessment Report for a Proposal which makes amendments to correct minor errors such as inconsistencies and ambiguities, omissions, misspellings and grammatical errors. The Board agreed to the Initial/Draft Assessment prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A520 – MRLs (Nov, Dec 2003)
The Board considered the Initial/Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to amend Maximum Residue Limits for non-antibiotic agricultural and veterinary chemicals in the Code. The Board agreed to the Initial/Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A521 – MRLs Lasalocid (antibiotic)
The Board considered the Initial/Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks the establishment of Maximum Residue Limits for poultry commodities, for the antibiotic lasalocid in the Code. The Board agreed to the Initial/Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A491 – Resistant Maltodextrin as Dietary Fibre
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to include the method AOAC 2001.03 – ‘Total Dietary Fibre in Foods Containing Resistant Maltodextrin’ for the measurement of dietary fibre. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A505 – Diacylglycerol Oil
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to approve the use of diacylglycerol oil as a novel food. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A506 – MRLs Flofenicol (Antibiotic)
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks the addition of Maximum Residue Limits for cattle and pig commodities, for the antibiotic florfenical in the Code. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A509 – Food Derived from Insect-Protected Cotton Line COT102
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to approve the use of good derived from a genetically modified insect-protected cotton, cotton line COT102. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Proposal P271 - Change Liqueur Definition
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for a Proposal which seeks to include a proposed amendment to the liqueur definition to clarify which products were to be included as ‘liqueurs’. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report, which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Proposal P278 - Use of Nicotine and Nicotiana Species in Food
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for a Proposal which seeks to consider the issue associated with the use of Nicotiana species in foods and, if necessary, to review the current food standards in relation to this matter in order to ensure that public health and safety is adequately protected. The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report, which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A499 – Roquefort Cheese
The Board considered the Initial Assessment Report for an Application which seeks to permit the sale of Roquefort cheese made from raw sheep’s milk. The Board agreed to the Initial Assessment Report (subject to minor amendments), which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Other matters
Proposal P286 – Plant-Derived Native Foods
The Board considered the issues associated with the consumption of plant-derived native food indigenous to Australia and New Zealand. The Board requested that further work be undertaken to identify those plant-derived native foods which may have associated safety issues and which may enter the general food supply.
Nutrition Health and Related Claims
The Board were briefed on biomarker issues to be provided to the Ministerial Council and were provided with an update on the work being undertaken in relation to implementing the policy guidelines on Nutrition, Health and Related Claims project.
Meeting with Andrew McKenzie and Fran Wilde
The Board met with Mr Andrew McKenzie from New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) and Ms Fran Wilde, Chair of the Food Safety Advisory Board. The Board were updated on the role of the Food Safety Advisory Board and their relationship with NZFSA. Mr McKenzie reported on the issues facing NZFSA and the ways in which these would be addressed.
Meeting with Kahui Kounga Kai
The Board met with two new members of the Kahui Kounga Kai, Eruera Maxted and Bella Tuau. The Kahui gave a summery of the feedback from the three 2003 Hui. Issues raised from the Hui were highlighted and the Board informed on how these issues had been addressed. Including:
- How the Kahui were going to input into the standards setting process.
- Input to current work plan items
- Criteria for highlighting issues of relevance to Maori
- Extension of the Maori Data base
Appointment of a National Expert Advisory Panel on Uncooked Comminuted Fermented Meat ( UCFM) Safety
The Board were briefed that FSANZ had actively sought nominations to the Expert Advisory Panel and approached a range of key stakeholders. FSANZ received ten nominations for membership to the Expert Advisory Panel: four from the meat industry, one from scientific/research organisations, three from State and Territory controlling authorities and two from Commonwealth agencies. Two FSANZ staff will be involved in chairing and providing support for the activities of the Expert Advisory Panel. The Board agreed to appoint these candidates to the Expert Advisory Panel. The successful candidates will be notified of the decision in writing and asked to confirm their acceptance of their position on the Expert Advisory Panel.
A1/A2 Milk – Scientific Update
The Board were updated on A1/A2 milk based on the latest published research material. The Board were advised that FSANZ is keeping a watching brief on this matter.
Final Intense Sweetener Report
The Board were briefed on the Final Intense Sweetener Report. The Board were advised that the report found an increase in consumption of intense sweeteners although at this stage there are no concerns for public health as exposure is below the ADI. It was noted that this report will be published on the FSANZ website following the meeting.