Food Standards News No. 63
Summer 2007
In this edition
New FSANZ CEO sets out vision for agency
FSANZ reviews some aspects of food labelling
Food Allergies Masterclass
Codex committee meets in India
Community Liaison Committee looks for greater role
FSANZ Annual Development Award 2007
Don’t give your family and friends food poisoning this Christmas
Food Standards updates
FSANZ Fellows Program
How changes to the FSANZ Act may affect you
Food Regulators Science Network Forum
New FSANZ CEO sets out vision for agency
FSANZ’s new Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, has no doubt that his new job will be demanding.
“Consumer expectations of food authorities, including standards setting bodies such as FSANZ, are greatly enhanced these days,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“Consumers expect FSANZ to be not just managing food safety and giving them all the information they need to make informed choices about their foods, but also looking at the longer term effect of food on their general health and well being.”
“At the same time, industry is constantly looking to innovate and meet the demands of a market that is becoming increasingly global in nature. Industry, quite reasonably, wants a standards-setting system that is responsive to advances in technology and novel approaches to the production of food.”
He said that when the regulator was set up 16 years ago, its primary focus was on managing the safety of food. It still is.
“But while there will always be issues to manage with food safety, governments are continuing to grapple with community demands for the food regulatory system to play a greater role in managing longer term health issues – such as obesity and diabetes.
“This, essentially, is a policy issue for governments but FSANZ needs to be ready to respond to the needs of government in developing food standards that deliver appropriate outcomes to the broader community,” he said.
Mr McCutcheon is very aware that the Australian and New Zealand food industries are vital components of their respective economies and that FSANZ, with just 146 staff to cover both countries, has a major influence on their business operations.
In Australia, food products, including processed food and fresh horticultural produce, account for 46% of total retailing and 19% of merchandise exports.
The processed food industry is Australia’s largest manufacturing industry with a gross turnover of $119.4 billion in 2005-06. It also employs more than 200,000 people. The industry contributes $14.2 billion or about 2.5% to Australia’s GDP.
The processed food industry is also one of only two Australian manufacturing sectors that are net exporters. In 2005-06, exports had a value of $22.3 billion, according to the Australian Food and Grocery Council. Australia’s food trade surplus was about $16 billion.
New Zealand exported $15.03 billion of food and food ingredient products for the year ended June, 2004. This represents 50.3% of the country’s $29.88 billion worth of merchandise exports.
These are impressive figures and demonstrate the enormous challenge that confronts FSANZ on a daily basis – serving domestic consumers while also meeting the needs of an export-driven food industry.
“We have to find the right balance between the two,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“FSANZ is well positioned to do this. We have a very strong core of excellence around food safety and standards. We have matured into an organisation that is held in high regard both nationally and internationally and it will be my job to maintain that reputation and improve on the agency’s capacity to meet the challenges of the future.
“I’m also very aware that FSANZ is increasingly contributing to international work on food standards. This is important because countries like Australia and New Zealand are small in the overall scheme of things and benefit greatly from the global work that goes on, so we ought to be contributing too. We have a robust, evidence-based system of risk assessment.”
He emphasised that FSANZ is part of a broader policy framework for food regulation and, as such, needs to be responsive to the needs of its key stakeholders and a rapidly changing food production and marketing environment.
“FSANZ is the food standards-setting arm of government so it has to be responsive to changes in the policy framework. My key priority will be to make sure we continue to deliver scientifically robust, evidence-based food standards, which is our core function. I’d also like to think that FSANZ can play a role, when asked, in informing the policy process so that when policy decisions are made, policy makers have all the information necessary to make those decisions”.
Mr McCutcheon said the pressure will be on to make sure FSANZ has the capacity and capability to meet the ever increasing demands of industry and the community.
“Workforce planning is critical – FSANZ cannot function effectively without an appropriately skilled workforce. There is only a small pool of people who can do this in Australia and New Zealand so we must keep our workforce in place and develop and nurture our people. We have world experts here and we have to make sure we continue to look after them so they can continue to operate in an extremely challenging but rewarding environment.”
Mr McCutcheon identified communication as having a very important role within the organisation.
“Good communication is something FSANZ and other bodies are working on, particularly finding the best way to communicate what we do and the implications of our decisions. Risk communication will continue to be a priority. We can have the best scientists in the world here but if the agency cannot effectively communicate with governments, industry and consumers, then the value of our work is diminished.”
FSANZ is a statutory authority governed by a Board of Directors that sets the strategic direction of the organisation. Mr McCutcheon said it is up to him, as the newly appointed CEO, to steer the agency in the direction set by the Board.
“I am very much a part of a collegiate corporate body,” he said.
Mr McCutcheon said he was looking forward to the challenges ahead and the opportunity to work with a diverse group of stakeholders.
“FSANZ is a very vibrant and professionally oriented organisation. I would like to think that under my stewardship, it will continue to evolve as a world class food standards-setting organisation that serves the needs of the Australian and New Zealand Governments and that makes a real difference to the quality of life of people in Australia and New Zealand.”
FSANZ reviews some aspects of food labelling
We are planning to review some key labelling requirements in the Food Standards Code.
The basic aim of this labelling review will be to determine whether current requirements in Part 1.2 of the Code are effective in providing the sort of accurate and understandable information that consumers want on labels, balanced against the costs to industry.
We will not address all labelling requirements in the Code as some do not need to be reviewed now or are being examined though other processes. For example, we will not revisit labelling for foods produced using gene technology or for irradiated foods in this review. There are some other matters, such as allergen labelling, that we are considering as separate proposals.
Some of the labelling changes introduced as part of an earlier review of food standards and implemented in December 2002 are now due for reassessment because:
- FSANZ’s monitoring and evaluation work has found that consumers have concerns about the accuracy of information on food labels, in particular information contained in nutrient information panels (NIPs) and in declarations of the percentage of characterising ingredients.
- Two States, Western Australia and New South Wales, investigated the integrity of food labels in 2007 because both found disparities between the nutrient values determined by chemical analysis and the values stated on labels.
- Correspondence to FSANZ and enquiries via our information officer and the advice line indicate that there are concerns about the interpretation and implementation of some labelling provisions. These concerns include label legibility and the prominence of warning statements and labelling practices for substances that may cause adverse reactions.
We are preparing a draft issues paper to use as the basis for consultation with stakeholders. This consultation should provide us with further information to guide the extent and limitations of our review.
Food Allergies Masterclass
FSANZ organised a Food Allergies Masterclass to take place during the Food Safety Conference in Sydney last September. The idea was to pool the expertise of delegates that the conference attracted. With its theme of Future Directions, the conference brought together a range of experts with clinical, consumer, industry and both scientific and regulatory backgrounds. The Masterclass provided an excellent forum for presentations and discussions on a number of important issues to do with allergies. The following is a summary of what the experts said.
Professor Andrew Kemp, Professor of Paediatric Allergy at The Children’s Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, said that despite the lack of epidemiological evidence, most people now accept that food allergy is an epidemic.
He described a recent Australian study carried out over the ten years from 1994 to 2004 that identified a significant increase in demand for consultations relating to food allergy and food-associated anaphylaxis. He noted that the number of Epipens (auto injecting adrenaline syringes) prescribed in Australia has risen sharply since 2004.
Professor Kemp also presented Australian data showing that the risk of food anaphylaxis is highest in the preschool setting and that the pattern of fatal anaphylaxis cases identifies teenagers eating away from home as a high risk group. Asthma is a risk factor for severe reactions, including death, in children over five years of age with an allergy to peanuts or treenuts.
Maria Said, President of Anaphylaxis Australia Inc., said the food allergy epidemic means allergies have become a fact of life in Australia and overseas.
She cited figures presented at a recent US conference she attended that showed trends there are similar to those in Australia. The US figures indicate that of 31 deaths due to food anaphylaxis reported from 2001 to 2005, most were teens and young adults eating away from home with the main trigger being peanuts or treenuts. About half the victims had mild reactions previously.
Although allergic consumers and their carers welcomed the introduction of mandatory labelling in 2002, they are frustrated by the types of precautionary labelling offering “may contain” or “made in a facility” statements. Ms Said, who has a son with a chronic peanut allergy, spoke passionately about the anxiety and confusion of consumers confronted with such ambiguous statements on a daily basis. She said food manufacturers should bear this in mind when making precautionary labelling and mentioned the industry’s Allergen Forum initiative in this regard through the VITAL project.
Dr Hikmat Hayder, Senior Scientist with FSANZ, discussed recent developments in the science of food allergy and noted that researchers and clinicians are developing a better understanding of food allergy, including potential risk factors.
Consumers expect clear and accurate information to help them manage food allergies but this is proving to be a major challenge to the industry and regulators, specifically in relation to the unintended presence of allergens in packaged and unpackaged food. However, although significant gaps remain in our knowledge, the capacity of the food industry and regulatory authorities to assess and manage the risks is improving.
Dr Leigh Henderson, Labelling Manager with FSANZ, compared the Australia and New Zealand allergen labelling requirements with the more recent regulations in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan, highlighting their similarities and differences.
She said precautionary labelling is recognised internationally as an issue where the industry, consumers and regulators can share information and explore ways forward. A good example of this is the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Allergen Forum initiative.
Dr Henderson outlined allergen-related work now being done by FSANZ, including an application to exempt isinglass (a fining agent) from allergen labelling, the labelling requirements for catering and retail sale and the impending review of allergen labelling requirements.
Current requirements for unpackaged foods and food sold in restaurants stipulate that allergens must be declared on the food or in connection with it, or the information must be made available to the consumer on request. However, as acknowledged by previous speakers, Dr Henderson said sector-specific issues can influence the effectiveness of these requirements and further consideration may be required.
Ben Jackson, Food Safety Manager – Kellogg Australia, discussed allergen management from a manufacturer’s perspective.
He said food allergens are a key focus for the company globally, which has put in place consistent policies, management programs and specialist staff to handle allergen enquiries. The company also fosters strong engagement with stakeholders. The management program starts with raw materials suppliers who must have a strategy to prevent cross-contact during transport and storage. Further, production plants also have stringent rules for the use of allergenic ingredients which apply to the order of production, cleaning of equipment and training of staff.
As a global company, Kellogg is challenged by the diverse international market requirements on allergens, Mr Jackson said. Another challenge is a commitment to use ‘defensive’ labelling only as a last option and when supported by an assessment of the risk in the production environment.
Samara Kitchener, Director of Communication with the New South Wales Food Authority, spoke about a State-based pilot project to raise awareness of food business obligations with regard to food allergies.
The project is run in partnership with the food industry and local councils with a special focus on food service businesses. The aim is to help food businesses improve their understanding of and compliance with the allergen regulations and to help consumers by providing greater choice when eating out.
The pilot is based on a strategy of educating and training business staff in two council areas involving between 50 and100 businesses each. Council consultations began last July, training starting in October followed by promotion and consumer activity in November. Early in 2008 these processes will be followed up when the NSWFA analyses the project outcomes.
The Masterclass was supported by Anaphylaxis Australia Inc, the NSW Food Authority and FSANZ.
Codex committee meets in India
Three FSANZ staff represented Australia at the 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) when it met in New Delhi in November.
FSANZ staff played a key role in preparing one of the most significant items on the agenda - a Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Infant Formula for Infants and Young Children (including Annexes I and III).
Their support, plus support from three other Australian delegates representing the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Food Science Australia and Fonterra, means the Draft Code will go before the Codex Alimentarius Commission in mid-2008 for final ratification.
This Draft Code describes specific hygiene practices for the manufacturers of different powdered formulas. These practices cover everything from the design and facilities of the manufacturing establishment to the water supply, personal hygiene, control of operations, packaging, waste management and microbiological limits.
To reach this point with the Draft Code, the Codex committee has held lengthy consultations with stakeholders and meetings with international experts on the microbiological safety of powdered infant formulae.
The committee successfully completed its agenda and moved two other key pieces of work to Step 5/8 in the Codex process. As well as the Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Infant Formula, two other items will also now go before the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2008 for final adoption:
- Draft Guideline for the Validation of Food Safety Control Measures and
- Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Management: Annex II Guidance of Microbiological Risk Management Metrics.
Other key items on the agenda included validating food safety control measures, controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in broiler chicken meat, microbiological risk management and microbiological criteria for Listeria in ready-to-eat foods.
The outcome was a great success and enabled the committee to take on new work on commodity specific annexes for the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables and on a Code of Hygienic Practice for Vibrio spp. in Seafood.
CCFH will next meet in December 2008 in the United States.
Community Liaison Committee looks for greater role
The overriding goal for FSANZ is a safe food supply and well informed consumers. To ensure we know exactly what consumers want, we set up the Consumer Liaison Committee.
The consumer perspective is vital to our deliberations and while we already include a consumer representative on our Board, and have productive working relationships with consumer associations in Australia and New Zealand, the CLC provides us with an independent, front-line perspective.
The CLC met for the first time in May 2006 and has been moving from strength to strength ever since, though its members believe they have more to offer FSANZ, according to committee Chair Wayne Cooper.
“Both the CLC and FSANZ are still coming to grips with the relationship,” Mr Cooper said.
“Committee members feel FSANZ could use them more actively as a sounding board and have expressed this view to the Board and received a positive response.”
He said committee members are looking forward to the results of FSANZ’s current review of its committees and consultation. “The most important thing is that the committee remains true to its charter – that is, to give the views of its independent members to the agency.”
He said most committees are set up to reach consensus and then provide that advice to the standards setting process. The CLC is not like that.
“The Committee was specifically charged with the responsibility for retaining the independent views of its members, which means there need be no consensus view, though we do reach consensus on many things.”
Mr Cooper is now completing a profile of the CLC’s members, detailing their areas of expertise and interest so FSANZ staff can feel free to involve them more usefully in standards development activities.
FSANZ Annual Development Award 2007
Christel Leemhuis has won the FSANZ Annual Development Award for 2007.
The award, presented by Dean Stockwell (acting CEO) and Dr Paul Brent (acting Chief Scientist), is for “corporate achievement in recognition of the significant contribution made to the food standards development work of FSANZ and in fostering a Team FSANZ working environment”.
The Annual Development Award is presented to an employee “who demonstrates sustainable potential to operate at a higher level (than the one they are on) and a general preparedness to enhance their capabilities across relevant areas of the organisation.”
This year’s award recognises Ms Leemhuis’ potential by giving her funding of $8000 to pursue a professional development opportunity that is of long term benefit both to herself and FSANZ
Ms Leemhuis says she will take a short course in risk analysis which covers risk assessment, risk management and risk communication in relation to food safety. The course is run by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Don’t give your family and friends food poisoning this Christmas
Christmas is a high risk time for food poisoning, the Food Safety Information Council has warned.
Dr Michael Eyles, chair of the Food Safety Information Council, has issued food safety tips so your family and friends will be less likely to be among the 5.4 million cases of food poisoning that occur in Australia each year.
“We are more likely to get food poisoning at Christmas time because the weather is hot, the fridge is overloaded and we’re cooking for more people than we usually do. It all makes for perfect conditions for food poisoning,” Dr Eyles said.
“We are also more likely to be cooking for several generations and need to be especially careful when preparing food for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people whose immune system may be compromised.”
Dr Eyles said that following a few simple rules can make for a safe and enjoyable holiday. Before preparing food for Christmas make sure that there is enough room in the fridge to keep cold food at or less than 5 °C. If there is not enough room in the fridge, take out the beer – this is not unAustralian. Soft drinks and alcohol, pickles, jams and other acidic condiments don’t need refrigeration to remain safe. Drinks can be kept cold in an esky with ice – which will also save you opening the fridge door too often.
Always make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and dry thoroughly before preparing foods and between handling raw meat or raw chicken. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meats and ready to eat foods.
“Avoid keeping food in the temperature danger zone between 5 °C and 60 °C where food poisoning bacteria grow best,” Dr Eyles said. “Prepare foods as close as possible to eating time and don’t leave food out to nibble on too long, for example, put out small serves of dips and replace every few hours.
“Seafood is a great option for Christmas - make sure you ask your fishmonger to pack your purchase with ice, transport it home in a cooler and then promptly place in the coldest part of your fridge.
“Cook foods properly. All rolled and stuffed roasts, poultry, sausages and mince dishes need to be fully cooked. Steaks, chops and solid pieces of meat can be eaten rare.
“If you cook large amounts of food in advance, divide it into smaller portions in shallow containers so it cools quicker, cover and place in fridge or freezer. Make sure there is good air circulation around the containers.
“We always seem to have leftovers at Christmas time so remember to refrigerate leftovers immediately after the meal. Never leave leftovers on the kitchen bench and use refrigerated leftovers within two to three days. Reheat food all the way through to at least 75 °C so it is steaming hot.
“And finally, your Christmas ham will keep several weeks with proper handling by removing it from its plastic wrap, covering with clean cloth soaked in water and vinegar so it doesn’t dry out. Follow any instructions on the packaging and store it in the fridge at or below 5 °C. Reduced salt hams are now becoming popular but will not last as long as conventional hams so follow instructions on the packaging” Dr Eyles concluded.
You can view a wide range of material, including tips for picnics and barbecues, on the Food Safety Information Council website www.foodsafety.asn.au.
The Food Safety Information Council is a partnership of government agencies, industry and professional groups with the objective of educating consumers about safe food handling practices.
Contact: Juliana Madden, Food Safety Information Council Executive Officer 0407 626 688
Food standards updates
As a matter of course, FSANZ constantly reviews the latest scientific evidence behind food standards decisions we have already taken, and those we are still considering.
What follows is an update on two of the major issues we are working to implement now.
Nutrition, Health and Related Claims
FSANZ is now preparing the Final Assessment Report for P293 – Nutrition, Health and Related Claims – to present to the FSANZ Board in March 2008.
We have carefully considered the comments people made about our Preliminary Final Assessment Report and have had subsequent discussions with stakeholders. However, we feel it is important to seek further public comment on three outstanding issues:
- claimable foods versus nutrient profiling scoring criteria for nutrition content and general level health claims about vitamins and minerals;
- substantiation framework; and
- criteria for nutrition content claims about saturated fatty acids as a low proportion of total fatty acid content (a new claim) and ‘free of trans fatty acids’.
We released the consultation paper on 12 December for a seven-week comment period. Anyone interested in making submissions will be able to access the document on the FSANZ website.
The final recommendations on the three issues in the consultation paper will be presented to the FSANZ Board in March 2008. Subject to Board approval, the Ministerial Council will consider the Final Assessment Report in May 2008.
Folic acid
A key priority for FSANZ in 2006/2007 was to develop a food standard for the mandatory fortification of food with folic acid.
Folic acid is important for everyone but is especially important for women capable of, or planning, a pregnancy. This vitamin is crucial to the healthy development of babies in early pregnancy. A baby’s growth is the most rapid in the first weeks of life; often before a woman is aware she is pregnant. By Day 28, the neural tube should have closed and fused. If it hasn’t, the result is a neural tube defect (NTD). Folic acid can prevent NTDs occurring if taken one month before and three months after conception.
The mandatory standard was accepted by Food Ministers in June 2007. It gives industry two years to prepare for folic acid fortification and will become enforceable in Australia in September 2009. New Zealand has issued a food standard under the New ZealandFood Act 1981which will become enforceable in October 2009.
The standard for Australia requires manufacturers to add folic acid to all wheat flour for bread-making, whereas the standard for New Zealand requires the addition of folic acid to bread. In response to stakeholders’ comments, FSANZ agreed that all flour and bread labelled as organic will be exempt from mandatory fortification. Consumers will be able to identify the presence of folic acid in bread and bread products by checking the ingredient list on the label. This information may also be available on request.
Mandatory folic acid fortification is expected to reduce the number of NTD affected pregnancies each year in Australia by up to 14% (between 14 and 49 pregnancies) and by up to 20% in New Zealand (between 4 and 14 pregnancies).
Other strategies for reducing the incidence of NTDs will also continue to be important. These include continuing existing voluntary fortification permissions and promoting supplement use and education for women capable of, or planning, a pregnancy.
FSANZ is preparing a user guide for industry and will be working with other government and health agencies to disseminate information to the public on mandatory folic acid fortification and the role of folic acid in reducing NTDs. We are also collaborating with the government and state jurisdictions to establish a national system for monitoring the effects of folic acid fortification.
For further information visit the FSANZ website: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodmatters/fortification/index.cfm
FSANZ Fellows Program
FSANZ recently reviewed its Fellows Program and decided to appoint eight new Fellows.
The Strategic Science, Technology and Surveillance Section is responsible for the FSANZ Fellows Program. It initiated the Program in September 2000 with the aim of establishing a network of distinguished scientists from key discipline areas relevant to food regulation. The network promotes close collaboration between FSANZ, the FSANZ Fellows and their affiliated institutions, to the benefit of all parties.
The FSANZ Fellows provide an independent source of expertise and critical review for FSANZ’s scientific and other professional staff. Their role is not to make policy or regulatory decisions, but to contribute to the robustness of the scientific and economic information underpinning FSANZ’s decisions. They receive no fees or other payments. The benefits they gain are solely non-financial but are valuable nonetheless because they involve information sharing, collaboration with FSANZ scientists and professionals on matters of shared interest. In some cases they facilitate research projects for their students in areas of interest to FSANZ. Fellows are also invited to participate in seminars and symposia held by FSANZ.
Over the past years, FSANZ Fellows have provided invaluable input into a variety of FSANZ projects including:
- participation in the scientific advisory group for health claims;
- expert opinion on phytosterols applications;
- dietary modelling expertise;
- expertise in project management of large contracts for surveys and analytical programs; and
- peer review of both published material and FSANZ material on topics such as genetically modified food and phytosterols.
The normal term of appointment is three years, however the Board has previously varied the length of term and re-appointed some of the retiring Fellows to ensure that there remains a core of expertise.
Apart from appointing eight new Fellows, five have been reappointed and four remain as current Fellows. The eight new FSANZ Fellows are :
Professor Lynne Cobiac is the Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, at Flinders University. She previously spent twenty years at CSIRO working on a range of food related research projects and is currently overseeing the nutrition component of the Australian National Children’s Nutrition & Physical Activity Survey.
Professor Graham Giles is the Chief Investigator of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (Health 2020) and is the Director of the Cancer Epidemiology Centre of the Cancer Council of Victoria. He is the principal investigator of a number of studies of families with cancer of the bowel, breast and prostate at the University of Melbourne.
Professor Peter Langridge is the CEO of the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics based at the University of Adelaide. He has expertise in plant genomics, genetics and breeding.
Professor Brian Priestly is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine (DEPM) at Monash University. His primary area of expertise is in toxicology, and he took up the position of Director of the Australian Centre for Human Health Risk Assessment (ACHHRA) in December 2003.
Professor Richard Shepherd is the Co-Director at the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. Professor Shepherd has provided expert review of a literature review of social aspects of food fortification for FSANZ.
Professor Murray Skeaff is head of the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. His areas of research include health effects of fats and oils on cardiovascular disease, fatty acid biomarkers, and folate and vitamin D.
Professor Tony Smith is the Chair of the Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee at the Therapeutic Goods Administration and a Member of WHO Expert Committee on Drug Policy. He is an Emeritus Professor in Clinical Pharmacology in the University of Newcastle. Professor Smith was a consultant physician in the Newcastle Mater Hospital for more than 25 years. He currently works extensively for WHO, mainly in the area of improving the quality of use of medicines especially in developing countries.
Professor Mark Tamplin is a microbiologist at the University of Tasmania. His research includes modelling the growth and inactivation of microbial pathogens in food, including the effects of competitive microflora, strain variation and physiological state.
The five reappointed FSANZ Fellows are:
Professor Julie Byles is Director of the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, a Priority Research Centre at the University of Newcastle, co-Director of the Newcastle Institute of Public Health, and co-director of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. As a clinical epidemiologist and gerontologist, Professor Byles has interests and expertise in risk determination, assessment, screening and diagnostic tests, other health care evaluation, and measurement of health outcomes. Her recent work has included research on the effectiveness of health assessments including dietary intakes, and nutrition screening and interventions to enhance nutrition for older people in community, hospital and aged care settings.
Professor John Cary is a Professorial Fellow, and former Director, in the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation at Victoria University. His research interests are in the social sciences related to sustainable food production and human and social behaviour related to natural resources use in food production.
Dr John Huckerby is the director of Power Projects Limited, a consultancy that provides strategic decision-making, business development and operational project management services to the energy industry. His clients include overseas energy companies interested in investing in New Zealand and a range of government and public sector agencies. Dr Huckerby has been a Scientific Fellow since the inauguration of the program in 2000. His principal contribution to FSANZ has been in areas of project and contract management. He currently serves on the Stakeholder Evaluation Committee.
Dr Rob Loblay is the Director of the Allergy Unit at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Senior Lecturer in Immunology at the University of Sydney. His specialty is Clinical Immunology and Allergy. His special interests are food allergy, food intolerance, allergic disease (general), coeliac disease, autoimmunity, chemical sensitivity and bioethics.
Professor Mike Gidley is the Director of the Centre for Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Queensland and Research Mentor for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. His interests include plant-based foods, food materials science and the relationships between food structure and nutritional properties.
These appointed and reappointed fellows join the current FSANZ Fellows: Professor Jeff Borland (University of Melbourne), Professor Roger Morris (Massey University), Professor Ken Buckle (University of New South Wales) and Professor John McNeil (Monash University).
In making these appointments, the Board of FSANZ recognised the contribution of departing fellows: Dr Ann Cowling, Professor Jim Mann and Professor Tom McMeekin.
How changes to the FSANZ Act may affect you
Changes to the FSANZ Act may affect you. The changes, which took effect from 1 October 2007, were designed to improve the assessment and consultation procedures for new and amended food standards. They will make the regulatory process more efficient, while improving consultation with stakeholders.
However, as with any new system, some people have had a little trouble adapting to it and we would like to clarify some issues for potential applicants, particularly those relating to the format and data requirements stipulated in FSANZ’s Application Handbook.
FSANZ has very little discretion in determining whether or not an application meets the format and data requirements. We are governed by paragraph 26(2)(a) of the FSANZ Act, which stipulates that FSANZ must have regard to whether an application complies with the requirements of the Handbook.
Please note that if your application is rejected because it does not meet the Handbook requirements, you may still re-submit it at a later date with the required extra information included.
We cannot stress enough the importance of arranging a meeting or teleconference with relevant FSANZ staff before you lodge an application. This will ensure that your application is thorough, contains all the correct formats and data, and that we will be able to deal with it quickly.
Some issues that have already arisen under the new procedures:
1. Your application and supporting abstracts must be in English. Supporting information written in another language should be accompanied by a full English translation if the information is of high relevance to the application.
2. You must provide FSANZ with two hard copies of the complete application, together with an electronic copy of the complete application.
3. You must identify any information you consider to be confidential commercial information. This must be separated from the other parts of the application, both in the hard and electronic copies. You must also submit a formal request that we consider your application as confidential, and your reasons must satisfy the definition of commercial confidential information set out in Section 4 of the FSANZ Act.
4. Your application must contain a signed Statutory Declaration that includes certain statements (see Part 3.1 of the Handbook).
5. You application must contain a completed checklist (see Appendix 1 of the Handbook).
6. The word ‘must’ is used in the Handbook to identity information that is mandatory. If you don’t provide this information, we may have to reject your application at the administrative assessment stage. You would then have to re-apply with the correct information included.
7. The word ‘should’ is used in the Handbook to identify information that is not mandatory but which will help us process your application. If you don’t provide this information we will not reject your application at the administrative assessment stage. However, we may ask for it when we actually assess your application.
Please feel free to contact our Standards Management Officer, Mrs Cathie Humphries, at standards.management@foodstandards.gov.au with any questions about the application process.
The Handbook, as well as information relating to the new assessment processes, is available on the FSANZ website at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/standardsdevelopment/informationforapplicants/index.cfm .
Food Regulators Science Network Forum
Scientists with the Food Regulators Science Network Forum (SNF), established by FSANZ in early 2006, have recently reviewed and updated the forum after consulting all SNF members.
The SNF was one of the key new initiatives arising from the launch of the FSANZ Science Strategy 2006-09. It was set up to encourage greater collaboration between FSANZ scientists and food regulatory scientists in the States and Territories and New Zealand (the jurisdictions) on emerging food regulatory and scientific issues.
One of the key recommendations suggested by members during the review was that SNF meetings should be expanded into a rolling program that focuses more specifically on the disciplines of nutrition, food chemical safety and microbiological food safety. These are the scientific issues that underpin food regulation.
Initially forum membership included just one representative from each jurisdiction. Now, following the review, it will include jurisdictional scientists representing each scientific discipline.
With the broader membership base, scientists with expertise in each of these disciplines will be able to contribute much more effectively to the food regulatory system in Australia and New Zealand.
The first meeting of the new SNF was held in November 2007. It focused on nutrition issues and the agenda included a discussion of the science behind inulin-derived substances and galacto-oligosaccharides ( GOS) in infant formula products, infant foods and special purpose foods for infants and young children.
Members also discussed the results of the pilot WA survey that looked at thiamine in bread making flour and bread products. The second SNF meeting will take place in February 2008. It will be based on the rolling program and will focus on food chemical safety.
As well as holding regular SNF teleconference meetings, FSANZ will continue to organise workshops on specific scientific issues. The next workshop will be held early in 2008 and will focus on safety assessments for genetically modified foods.