20 October 2004
FSANZ SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSED CHANGES
TO THE FOOD STANDARDS CODE
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today invited industry, governments, health professionals and consumers to provide information and advice on a number of proposed changes to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
This Code contains food standards that determine what manufacturers can put in the food supply and the information they have to supply consumers on food labels.
Food manufacturers have applied for approval to use a number of processing aids, including octanoic acid on meat and vegetables and an ice-structuring protein in ice cream and edible ices, and to define the term ‘wholegrain’, introduce food from a new insect-protected and herbicide resistant GM corn and reduce the energy factor assigned to maltitol in food.
FSANZ has also raised proposals of its own to review the cyclamate permissions in all foods, to investigate the mandatory fortification of foods with folic acid and to review the labelling requirements for the minimum reference age of infant foods.
Reports for each of the Applications and Proposals below can be found on the FSANZ website at www.foodstandards.gov.au .
The reports fall into two categories: Initial Assessment reports, which are essentially issues papers, and Draft Assessment reports which contain FSANZ’s assessment of safety and other issues, possible management options and a draft food standard based on FSANZ’s preferred option.
The closing date for submissions is 1 December 2004 for the items below, except for Proposal P295, which has a closing date of 17 December 2004.
Dimethyl ether as a processing aid (Application A527 – Initial Assessment)
Bio Extracts Holdings Pty Ltd has applied to use dimethyl ether as an extraction solvent, specifically to remove fats and oils from food products. This compound does not have a technological function in the final food. Processing aids must undergo a pre-market safety assessment before they are approved for use in the manufacture of foods. FSANZ will need to be satisfied that use of dimethyl ether in the processing of food poses no public health or safety concerns. The report sets out the issues involved in this application.
Octanoic acid as a processing aid (Application A513 – Draft Assessment)
Ecolab Pty Ltd has submitted an application to amend the Food Standards Code to allow the use of octanoic acid as a processing aid in water in various formulations to be used as an antimicrobial treatment on red meat and poultry carcasses and fresh fruits and vegetables. FSANZ has concluded that octanoic acid in these formulations is effective in reducing bacterial contamination and is technologically justified. There are no public health and safety concerns. Comment is welcomed on the pre-market safety assessment and efficacy assessment conducted by FSANZ.
FSANZ received an Application from Unilever Australia Limited to amend the Code to approve the use of this ice structuring protein for the preparation of ice cream and edible ices (eg frozen yoghurts, frozen fruit drinks). The manufacturer claims use of this protein will help produce better textured and more stable frozen products. Ice structuring proteins are found naturally in a wide variety of organisms existing in very cold climates, including many plants, some deep sea fish, insects and fungi. They have long been part of the human diet. This protein is made by a fermentation process from bakers’ yeast, using techniques already used for producing enzymes in food industry.
FSANZ has not yet commenced a pre-market safety evaluation of this processing aid and would welcome comment from interested parties.
Extension of use of natamycin as a food additive (Application A542 – Initial Assessment)
Natamycin (or pimaricin) is an approved and widely used food additive in Australia and New Zealand as an antimicrobial agent in cheeses and manufactured meats. Danisco Australia Pty Ltd has applied to have approval extended to breads, baked goods, dairy products and sauces. Natamycin is a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent produced by the bacterium Streptomyces natalensis. It is active at low concentrations against a wide spectrum of yeasts and moulds. FSANZ will need to conduct a pre-market safety assessment of any extended use of natamycin in the food supply.
Dow AgroSciences Pty Ltd has applied for approval to use this genetically modified (GM) corn in the food supply. The corn has been genetically modified to provide protection from insect pests and also tolerance to glufosinate ammonium herbicide. All GM foods must undergo a safety assessment by FSANZ before approval can be given. FSANZ must satisfy itself that the GM food is as safe as its non-GM counterpart.
The Initial Assessment report sets out the issues associated with this Application and should be consulted prior to making a submission.
Labelling minimum age of infant food (Proposal P274 – Draft Assessment)
The Code presently permits infant foods to be labelled as suitable ‘from four months’. Revised Australian National Health and Medical Research Council infant feeding guidelines recommend the introduction of solids at around six months, while guidelines in New Zealand recommend that solids be introduced to infants between four to six months. FSANZ has reviewed these inconsistencies and is recommending that the minimum reference age be amended to ‘around six months’ in the Code. This option would protect infant health and safety, provide adequate information to parents and carers and harmonise food regulations between Australia and New Zealand. Industry will incur costs in changing labels, but it is likely that industry will benefit from increased consumer confidence resulting from the change. FSANZ seeks comments from affected parties.
Review of cyclamate permissions (Proposal P287 – Initial Assessment)
FSANZ has initiated a review of the use of the intense sweetener cyclamate across the whole food supply following publication of a FSANZ Evaluation Report Consumption of Intense Sweeteners in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. A 7-day diary survey conducted on the consumption of cyclamate and other sweeteners concluded that some consumers of cyclamate products currently on sale in Australia and New Zealand exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for cyclamate. FSANZ is undertaking this review to determine whether regulatory action should be considered and has initially proposed various risk management options. Consumers, public health professionals and industry representatives are invited to make a submission on this Proposal.
Consideration of mandatory fortification with folic acid (Proposal P295 – Initial Assessment)
In May 2004, the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council adopted a Policy Guideline on Fortification of Food with Vitamins and Minerals. Ministers have asked FSANZ to investigate mandatory fortification with folic acid as a possible means of reducing the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies. This Proposal has a specific objective of determining the most effective way of increasing dietary folate intake in pregnant women and women expecting to become pregnant to reduce the incidence of NTDs from current levels of about 11.5 per 10,000 births in Australia and 9.1 per 10,000 births in New Zealand.
The Initial Assessment report should be consulted for an overview of issues associated with the Proposal and for a summary of options available for implementing mandatory folate fortification.
Definition of ‘Wholegrain’ (Application A464 – Draft Assessment)
BRI Australia Ltd has applied to amend the definition of ‘wholegrain’ in the Code. Bread manufacturers consider the existing definition to be ‘too narrow, inconsistent with international practice and severely limiting for food manufacturers and potentially misleading for consumers’. The applicant also claims that the present definition is inconsistent with common usage. FSANZ believes that a change in the definition of ‘wholegrain’ may be warranted for the reasons set out in the Draft Assessment report and is inviting public comment.
Reduction in the energy factor assigned to maltitol (Application A537 – Draft Assessment)
Roquette Fréres has requested a reduction in the energy factor assigned to maltitol. The company claims that the currently prescribed energy factor of 16 kilojoules per gram used in determining the energy content of maltitol-containing foods is an overestimate, which may mislead consumers and unnecessarily disqualify some maltitol-containing foods from bearing reduced joule or low joule claims. FSANZ has conducted a risk assessment and concluded that a reduction in maltitol’s energy factor to 12 kilojoules per gram is warranted. This change would provide noticeable benefits to consumers and to industry.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has applied to FSANZ seeking to amend Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for a number of agricultural and veterinary chemicals in the Code. Before FSANZ recommends an MRL, the agency must be satisfied that the residues of the chemicals do not represent an unacceptable risk to public health and safety. FSANZ will not recommend a variation to the Code to include an MRL if the estimated dietary intake of chemical residues by consumers shows an unacceptable risk to human health. A list of the chemicals to be added, deleted or having their limits changed are given in the Draft Assessment report.
Media contact: Lydia Buchtmann on 0401 714 265 (Australia) or
+61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand).