SECOND MEETING
Canberra
7-8 August 2002
SUMMARY OF KEY OUTCOMES
Food Standards Matters
GM Commodities
The Board considered Final Assessment Reports for the following genetically modified commodity:
- Application A436 - Bollgard II insect-protected cotton containing Event 15985
Application A436 seeks permission for food derived from cotton which has been genetically modified to provide for protection against the insect attack. This cotton is not currently grown in Australia, but an application to grow it commercially has been lodged with the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. The Board agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to the Food Standards Code and the Board' s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Proposal P253 - Wine Production Requirements
The Board considered the Final Assessment Report for a proposal which has been formulated by FSANZ because of a lack of certainty over the interpretation and application of several labelling requirements in Volume 2 of theFood Standards Codein relation to an ' Australia only' wine production Standard . Standard 2.7.4 in Volume 2 of the Code will remain the compliance standard for wine made in New Zealand and for wine imported into Australia and New Zealand. In addition, this draft ' Australia only' Standard will ensure that that all wine made in Australia (i.e. wine for export as well as for domestic consumption) meets the requirement of the EU for wine of designated quality and origin and thus will maintain current access for Australian-made wines to the European market. The Board has agreed to the Final Assessment Report and the proposed draft variations to theFood Standards Codeand the Board' s decision will now be notified to Ministers.
Application A458 - Glucose oxidase as a processing aid
The Board considered the Draft Assessment Report for an Application which seeks permission for the use of the enzyme, glucose oxidase, as a processing aid from a genetically modified host bacterial strain. The enzyme is to be used in the baking industry to strengthen gluten in dough and, as a processing aid, is not expected to be present in the final food as it is normally inactivated by the high temperatures during baking.
The Board agreed to the Draft Assessment Report which will be released in the near future for public consultation on the proposed variations to the Code before further consideration by the Board.
Proposal P 257 - Preparation of Cassava
The Board considered the Initial Assessment Report for a Proposal which seeks to consider the potential health risks associated with the consumption of raw or improperly prepared cassava, and if necessary, whether appropriate risk management measures are needed. Although not widely used in Australia and New Zealand, it is consumed by certain ethnic groups, especially those from the Pacific islands. The Board agreed to the Initial Assessment Report which will be released in the near future for public consultation, prior to further consideration by the Board.
Application A445 - Ethylene oxide
The Board considered a Preliminary Final Assessment Report for Application A445 - Ethylene oxide. It deferred making a Final Assessment of the Application until its next meeting, to allow time for targeted consultation with affected stakeholders to consider a minor drafting change agreed to by the Board in relation to stock-in-trade issues.
Other matters
Draft 2001-2002 Annual Report
The Board considered and endorsed the draft Annual Report for 2001-2002 for the former Australia New Zealand Food Authority.
Priority-setting for primary production standards
The Board considered the proposed approach to management of FSANZ' s new responsibilities for the development of primary production and processing standards, and possible priorities for standards development. As part of the discussion, the Board agreed that the next primary production and processing standard be for seafood. An advertisement will therefore be placed in the national press in the near future inviting expressions of interest from stakeholders and all interested parties to form a committee to undertake the development of the seafood standard.
FSANZ Fellows Symposium
A FSANZ Fellows symposium will be held on Friday, 6 December 2002 in Canberra. The symposium will provide an opportunity to bring together the expertise of the FSANZ Fellows, FSANZ Board, staff and invited guests to explore one or more topics relevant to FSANZ' s work. The proposed theme for the second symposium will be Assessing the Safety of Our Food Supply - Successes and Challenge. The Symposium is intended to focus on FSANZ' s risk and safety assessment processes and to highlight emerging trends which will impact on FSANZ' s approach.
Risk Assessment Practices and GM Safety Assessments
Senior FSANZ staff gave presentations to the Board on FSANZ' s risk assessment practices, particularly with regard to the regulation of biotechnology in Australia and New Zealand and the safety assessments of genetically modified foods. These presentations assisted the Board, and in particular those members of the Board new to the organisation, to understand FSANZ's scientific assessments of applications and proposals.
2002-2003 FSANZ Communication Strategy
As part of the FSANZ planning process, a communication strategy is prepared for the organisation each financial year. The Board endorsed the Communication Strategy for 2002-2003 which includes an annual publication program. This strategy is of a general nature and is supplemented throughout the year by topic-specific communication plans as the need arises.
FSANZ collaboration in the Asia Pacific Region
The Board was updated on progress with FSANZ' s recent capacity-building projects in the Asia Pacific Region, as well as considering a strategy and work plan for the next twelve months. FSANZ' s Regional Program work falls into two categories:
- policy input by way of briefings for Australia's involvement in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asian Free Trade Area (AFTA)-Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement (CER) work. This is core FSANZ work which is funded from the Commonwealth budget; and
- technical assistance programs for APEC and ASEAN countries. These are not core work and are operated on a cost-recovery basis.
FSANZ, as a technical body with expertise in food regulation and food safety risk assessment, is regularly asked to contribute to Australian delegation briefs for meetings with APEC. This is general advisory work that contributes to effective dialogue on food issues, for primary trade in food products. The technical assistance programs are not essential core work of FSANZ but contribute to the achievement of FSANZ' s strategic priorities. By providing technical assistance to our neighbouring regional countries, FSANZ seeks to:
- increase trade in safe food through improving the consistency and transparency of food regulatory systems and improving the scientific and technical capacity of our developing country counterparts;
- boost international awareness of its technical capacity and its presence;
- build on and strengthen its technical and scientific credibility with the near international arena; and
- develop strategic partnerships with APEC/ASEAN countries particularly in food standards matters.
The technical assistance work aims to be 100% funded through external service delivery contracts. To date, resourcing has been provided by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), APEC, World Health Organization (WHO) and New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Indigenous consultation
The Board was given an update on activities to improve consultation processes to better facilitate input by indigenous Australians and New Zealanders into FSANZ' s food standards development. The Board endorsed a number of proposed future activities including holding a third indigenous workshop in Melbourne to highlight some of the issues facing urban indigenous communities. Previous workshops held in Darwin and Alice Springs highlighted the food-related issues of living in remote and rural environments.
In relation to Maori, the Board endorsed the final framework document based on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi to provide for enable more effective relations between FSANZ and Maori and facilitate participation by Maori in the development of food regulatory measures by FSANZ. The framework had previously been endorsed by the former ANZFA Board.
Meetings with Key Groups
The Board endorsed a proposal to meet with a number of key groups and Government officials at future Board meetings in both Australia and New Zealand. These meetings would be additional to the Board' s regular community forums.
' May Contain' statements
The Board was provided with an update on progress with the use of of ' may contain' statements on food products. There is a growing propensity for food manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand to label foods with blanket statements such as ' may contain nuts' or ' may contain gluten' . This sometimes occurs on products where the probability is very low indeed of traces of such material actually being in the foods so labelled. Individual allergen sufferers and a number of non-government organisations have expressed frustration and concern in response to this on the basis that such statements are not helpful and reduce the range of foods that are available to allergy sufferers. FSANZ receives such complaints on a regular basis. Excessive use could also lead consumers to disregard such statements as they would have no way of distinguishing between products where the probability of the ingredient of concern being present was negligible and those where the probability was very much higher.
Volume 2 of the Code is silent on the use of ' may contain' statements. The Board was advised that advice was still being sought from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on its position on the use of ' may contain' statements, and FSANZ intended to consult with other key stakeholders regarding this matter in the near future.
User guides - Flavourings and Representations about food
The Board considered and agreed to the final two draft user guides that have been written to assist in the interpretation and application of Volume 2 of the Code. The user guides will now be printed and put on the FSANZ web site. Thirteen other user guides are currently available on the website:
Legibility Requirements for Food Labels
Information Requirements for Foods Exempt from Bearing a Label
Warning and Advisory Declarations
Microbiological Limits for Foods (with additional guideline criteria)
A fourteenth user guide (on nutrition information labelling) has been previously approved by the Board, and will be published shortly.
E valuation of Food Regulatory Measures - Labelling issues for stakeholders other than consumers
FSANZ' s Evaluation Strategy outlines several major evaluation activities, some of which are completed and others in various stages of development: a food handling practices survey (this is currently available on the FSANZ website); consumer labelling research survey (this is currently available on the FSANZ website); labelling issues for stakeholders other than consumers (now available on the FSANZ website); sweetener survey; allergy labelling survey; and monitoring of labels.
The Board was provided with a copy of the report on labelling issues for stakeholders other than consumers.
Code industry advice line update
The Board was provided with an update on the industry advice line which was established in January 2001 to provide assistance with interpretation and application of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code ( known as Volume 2 of the Code) during its two-year implementation period. The implementation period ends in December 2002 when the old Code (Volume 1) and the New Zealand Regulations are due to be repealed and all foods sold in Australia and New Zealand must comply only with Volume 2.
The advice line was one of several communication activities established by the former ANZFA to help the food industry , and small businesses in particular, comply with the new requirements of the joint Code. Other activities include the development of user guides and fact sheets for key standards in Volume 2 and the delivery of a training package for industry and the jurisdictions. In adopting Volume 2 in December 2000, Ministers agreed that the former ANZFA and jurisdictions implement advisory activities to reduce the cost to small business. Supplementary funding from the Department of Health and Ageing will support the operation of FSANZ' s industry advice line in its current form until the end of March 2003.