FOOD LAWS FOR CALCIUM FORTIFICATION AND SEAFOOD UNDERGO REVIEW

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today invited public comment on proposed changes to the Food Standards Code involving a number of foods, including gluten claims, fortification of foods with calcium, uncooked salami-type foods and new safety standards for the seafood industry.

FSANZ Managing Director Ian Lindenmayer said any individual or organisation can apply to FSANZ to have food standards in the Code changed and FSANZ itself can raise its own proposals.

‘During the processing of each application or proposal, we normally provide two opportunities for consumer and public health organisations, industry, government agencies and the community to comment on the directions being taken by FSANZ,’ Mr Lindenmayer said.

‘The latest proposed changes to the Code are currently at the Initial or Draft Assessment stages of the evaluation process.’

Fortification of Foods With Calcium ( A424 ) – Draft Assessment

The application requested approval to fortify a number of foods with calcium – including juices, drinks and fruit cordial. FSANZ has conducted a dietary intake assessment which indicates that there is negligible risk of excess calcium consumption from fortification of all the products requested and identifies possible benefits to certain population subgroups from increased calcium intake. FSANZ proposes that permission be granted for all food categories requested by the applicant to contain added calcium at levels up to 25% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI).

A new insect-protected, herbicide-tolerant GM corn ( A446 ) – Draft Assessment

All genetically modified foods must undergo a safety assessment by FSANZ before approval is given for them to be legally sold as food in Australia and New Zealand. This GM corn has been modified for protection against certain insect pests and for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate-ammonium. FSANZ has found it to be at least as safe as its non-GM counterpart and therefore proposes approval for its use as a human food.

Trehalose as a novel food ingredient ( A453 ) – Draft Assessment

Trehalose is a disaccharide which can be found at low levels in foods such as bakers’ yeast, honey and wine. Its level of sweetness is 40-45% of that of sucrose. Because the applicant wants to use trehalose as a food ingredient at concentrations far greater than currently in the food supply, FSANZ has treated it as a novel food that has to undergo a safety assessment. FSANZ has concluded from its safety assessment that there are no public health or safety concerns or nutritional issues which would preclude approval.

Processing requirements for uncooked salami-type products ( P251 ) – Draft Assessment

The consumption of uncooked comminuted fermented meat products (eg. salami-type products), if contaminated by pathogenic E.coli organisms, poses a public health risk, as demonstrated in 1995 by a serious food poisoning outbreak. FSANZ has reviewed food standards introduced as an emergency measure in 1996 concerning the production of uncooked comminuted fermented meat products and the E.coli limits for these products, and proposes refinements to enhance their safety for consumers.

Foods for special medical purposes ( P242 ) – Draft Assessment

These foods are designed for use under health professional supervision, as a sole or partial source of nutrition for people with a medical condition, disease, disorder or disability. The intention of the proposed standard is to harmonise the regulation of foods for special medical purposes between Australia and New Zealand, to clarify the regulatory situation particularly with regard to imported products, and to re-assure a vulnerable sector of the community that these special foods are being adequately managed.

Alpha - amylase as a processing aid ( A467 ) – Draft Assessment

FSANZ has concluded, from a scientific assessment, that the use of the enzyme alpha - amylase sourced from Bacillus stearothermophilus as a processing aid is technologically justified and poses no significant risk to public health and safety. It proposes an amendment to the Code to allow its use.

Maximum residue limits ( A468 ) – Initial / Draft Assessment

FSANZ received an application from the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals to amend certain maximum residues limits (MRLs) for several agricultural and veterinary chemicals in the Food Standards Code. FSANZ is satisfied that the presence of residues at the proposed levels does not represent a threat to public health and safety.

A primary production and processing standard for seafood ( P265 ) – Initial Assessment

(Australia only)

Australians consumed about 300,000 tonnes of seafood in the year 2000-01. Like other food products, seafood needs to be produced under conditions that result in a safe product. The development of a food safety standard for seafood must consider the broad range of products, food safety risks and management systems in place, and harmonise, where possible, with international standards. Industry and interested parties are invited to comment on a range of issues to assist in guiding the development of this standard.

Liqueur definition ( P271 ) – Initial Assessment

The current definition of ‘liqueur’ in the Food Standards Code is broad enough to allow a large number of products to be classified as ‘liqueurs’ that were never intended to be so classified. By being classified as liqueurs, such products would be exempt from certain labelling requirements, even though this was not intended. FSANZ seeks comment from all stakeholders, especially members of the alcoholic beverages industry, on its intention to develop a clearer definition of ‘liqueur’.

Review of gluten claims ( P264 ) – Initial Assessment

The purpose of the review is to determine the need to retain the specific prohibition of gluten claims on foods containing oats and/or malt in Standard 1.2.8 and, if so, to determine the need to extend the prohibition to include oats and malt ‘and their products’. FSANZ invites comment on a number of matters, including the toxicity of oats and/or malt in individuals with coeliac disease, the extent to which food labels are used in the dietary management of coeliac disease, and the reliability of current methods of analysis to detect gluten in oats and malt.

More information: Assessment reports for the items above can be found on the FSANZ website at www.foodstandards.gov.au.