ANZFA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON A RANGE OF IMPORTANT FOOD MATTERS
22 August 2001
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) today invited public comment on a number of food issues, including new regulations for sports foods, allowable levels of chloropropanols in soy sauce, and options to exempt charities from compliance with aspects of the Food Safety Standards.
ANZFA' s Managing Director Ian Lindenmayer said public consultation was a vital part of the standards-setting process for Australia and New Zealand.
To perform effectively as a food regulator, ANZFA relied not only on the professional competence of its scientific and allied staff, but also on the willingness of industry and the community to engage in the process.
' Engagement in the consultation process can be done either formally through submissions, such as we are inviting now, or at public meetings held in Australia and New Zealand to coincide with meetings of the ANZFA Board. We need this information to help us identify and analyse the impacts of the food standards,' Mr Lindenmayer said.
Industry and consumer bodies, individuals and other interested parties are encouraged to provide information on a number of proposals currently being addressed by ANZFA, including:
- Development of joint regulation for sports food (P236) [ pdf ]
- Food safety standards and charities (A444) [ pdf ]
- Development of stock-in-trade provisions ( P249 - GM labelling ) (P248 - Volume 2 of the Food Standards Code)
- Definition of 'carbohydrate' in Standard 1.2.8 (P247) [ pdf ]
- Maximum level for chloropropanols in soy and oyster sauces (P243) [ pdf ]
- Listeria risk assessment and risk management strategy ( P239 ) [ pdf ]
Sports foods (submissions by 3 October 2001)
Sports foods are specifically formulated to assist sports people to achieve certain nutritional or performance goals. They are intended as supplements to a diet rather than for use as the sole or principal source of nutrition.
At present, sports foods in Australia and New Zealand are regulated by a variety of regulatory options. In December 2002, when Volume 2 of the Food Standards Code takes effect, a single standard will regulate sports foods in both countries. ANZFA is seeking advice on an appropriate regulatory framework, the scope/definition of sports foods and labelling issues.
Exemption for fundraising events - would apply to Australia only (submissions by 3 October 2001)
The NSW Department of Health has applied to exempt fundraising events organised by charitable and community organisations from the notification requirement of the Food Safety Standards. The Department argues that this information should not be required as it would be an unjustifiable burden on fundraising events and an administrative burden on government without any real benefits to food safety.
Stock-in-trade provisions (GM labelling and Volume 2 of theFood Standards Code) (submissions by 12 September 2001)
On 7 December 2001, Standard 1.5.2 of Volume 2 of the Food Standards Code will come into effect. The standard requires,inter alia and with certain exemptions, the labelling of food and food ingredients where, as a result of genetic manipulation, novel DNA and/or novel protein is present in the final food or where the food has altered characteristics.
It has been suggested that it would be unreasonable to require the removal from the marketplace of GM foods produced and labelled according to the requirements in place prior to 7 December 2001. This would also be the case with foods manufactured and packaged in line with requirements prior to Volume 2 of the Food Standards Code taking sole effect on or about 20 December 2002. ANZFA seeks comment on whether these categories of foods should be allowed to remain lawfully on the market for a further period of 12 months, provided they comply with the requirements that prevailed prior to the commencement of these changes.
Definition of ' carbohydrate' (submissions by 5 September 2001)
ANZFA is investigating the best way for manufacturers to determine carbohydrate values for inclusion in Nutrition Information Panels on food labels. It aims to provide manufacturers with a definition of carbohydrate that will allow them to give accurate information to consumers about the carbohydrate content of their food, while retaining flexibility to select the method of calculating carbohydrate best suited to their food product.
Chloropropanols in sauces (submissions by 12 September 2001)
Potential cancer-causing chemicals called chloropropanols have been detected in 22% of imported soy and oyster sauces in the United Kingdom. The chloropropanols 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP are formed during a manufacturing procedure known as acid hydrolysis. Soy and oyster sauces made by natural fermentation are considered to be safe. The chemical 1,3-DCP is regarded as a genotoxic carcinogen.
ANZFA is recommending an amendment to the Food Standards Code to set a maximum level in soy and oyster sauces of 0.2 mg/kg for 3-MCPD and 0.005 mg/kg for 1,3-DCP.
Listeria (submissions by 3 October 2001)
Each year, nearly 80 people in Australia and New Zealand contract a severe form of food poisoning from the bacterium Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes), which can lead to meningitis, septicaemia and miscarriage in susceptible people. In collaboration with a number of Australian and New Zealand partners, ANZFA has commenced a qualitative risk assessment of Listeria in a number of types of seafoods.
ANZFA invites comment on issues which include current Listeria management programs used by the seafood industry, the occurrence of cases and outbreaks of Listeria in food, the concept of zero tolerance for Listeria in food, and effective risk management tools for the control of L.monocytogenesin foods.
Further information: See ANZFA website at www.foodstandards.gov.au for details of proposals under documents for consultation .