Corporate Plan 2001 -2004

Contents

Chairman' s foreword

Introduction

Our vision, our mission, our values

Our operating environment

Our statutory responsibilities

Our key result areas

Performance information

Our planning framework

Chairman' s foreword

Last year, in my foreword to ANZFA' s Corporate Plan 2000-2001, I commented that the global food industry in Australia and New Zealand is facing unprecedented change and that the rate of change would be one of the defining features of the environment in which we all have to operate. Over the past year, that has certainly been demonstrated.

Increasing public awareness of issues related to food safety, rapid progress in food science and the introduction of new technologies pose important challenges to national and international food safety systems.

Consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of food and diet to their health. Their concerns are complex, ranging from trade ethics and nutritional sustainability, through to the mistrust of regulatory bodies, experts and new types of food and new food production technologies.

We need to be increasingly aware of the emerging forces and trends that can influence our strategic agenda. To respond to this, we have strengthened our approach to planning, particularly through the use of environmental scanning. We have used this to prepare ourselves better to cope with emerging problems and needs.

The Strategic Issues identified by the Board are medium to long term and the Corporate Plan is now based on a three-year cycle. It identifies the ten key result areas where we will focus our efforts in the years ahead. In particular, we will aim to meet our statutory objectives through the implementation, management and monitoring of the new Joint Food Standards Code and by managing the changing nature of our role as we move to implement the new approach to the management of food regulation.

These, and a focus on the other key result areas identified in the Plan, will help the Authority protect the health and safety of people in Australia and New Zealand through the maintenance of a safe food supply. This should also help to ensure a high level of confidence, both domestically and overseas, in the safety and integrity of the food we produce.

Michael MacKellar
Chairman

Introduction

The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is a bi-national, statutory body whose role, in association with others, is to protect the health and safety of people in Australia and New Zealand through the maintenance of a safe food supply.

We seek to achieve this goal by developing, varying and reviewing standards for food available in Australia and New Zealand and through a range of other functions including national food surveillance and recall systems, conducting research, assessing policies about imported food and by developing codes of practice with industry.

Our processes are characterised by our independence and scientific integrity and through our responsiveness, openness and transparency. We also understand that we are but one player in the food regulatory regime and that we operate in a wider environment.

These principles are integral to our processes and the way we do business. They underpin the strategic directions of the Authority.

For ANZFA to both manage and be responsive to change it has to be more strategically focused. An improved strategic planning process was established in 2000-2001 and is characterised by continuous development.

This Plan builds on and strengthens the strategic directions outlined in the Corporate Plan 2000-2001, the Strategic Priorities paper developed early in the planning process and outlines the key result areas (KRAs) which we will focus on over the next three years.

These key result areas reflect our priorities in:

• implementing, managing and monitoring the new Food Standards Code; 
• managing the changing nature of our role as we move to implement the new approach to the management of food regulation;
• managing and enhancing the standards development process;
• establishing and implementing common regulatory approaches and evaluation strategies with other agencies;
• supporting public health measures;
• providing greater opportunities for community involvement in our processes;
• assessing the impact of our priorities from a jurisdictional perspective, in particular New Zealand;
• strengthening and enhancing our international relationships;
• proactively managing emerging issues; and
• developing and maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of our organisation.

This Plan sets out the broad strategic framework for what we need to do to achieve our goals, reflects our awareness of the wider environment in which we have to operate and is set in the context of our shared values.

Our vision

Our vision is that:

people in Australia and New Zealand have a safe, healthy, affordable and diverse food supply about which they can make informed choices.

Our mission

Our mission is to:

protect, in collaboration with others, the health and safety of people in Australia and New Zealand through the maintenance of a safe food supply.

Our values

ANZFA has adopted its own set of values to reflect and support the particular way in which it operates and has identified the following values to help meet its goals.

In our work we will:

• be impartial, open and accountable;
• use the best available science and evidence to guide decision-making;
• seek, respect and be responsive to the issues raised by others; and
• provide a safe, caring, respectful and rewarding work environment.

In ourselves we value:

• integrity
• empathy
• diversity
• commitment
• professionalism
• skills and expertise
• mutual respect

Our operating environment

The environment in which we must operate is ever changing and increasingly inter-connected. To be effective we must recognise and be able to respond to:

• our accountability to a council of ten governments;
• our unique status as a bi-national agency;
• our changing role in food regulation;
• emerging evidence about the severity of food threats;
• increasing knowledge within the community about the importance of food and nutrition in relation to health status;
• increasing awareness and concern amongst consumers about food safety, regulation and the importance of a credible regulatory environment;
• challenges arising from developing technology and the evolving nature of the food industry;
• developments in international relations relating to trade in food;
• economic and social developments which impact on the community and the food industry;
• risks and perceived risks and the need to manage them appropriately.

Our statutory responsibilities

ANZFA is a bi-national organisation responsible for the development and setting of food standards for Australia and New Zealand.

In developing food regulatory measures, as defined under the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Act 1991 , ANZFA is required to consider in order of priority:

• the protection of public health and safety;
• the provision of adequate information relating to food to enable consumers to make informed choices;   and
• the prevention of misleading and deceptive conduct .

Under the Act, ANZFA is also required to give regard to:

• the need for standards to be based on risk analysis using the best available scientific evidence;
• the promotion of consistency between domestic and international food standards;
• the desirability of an efficient and internationally competitive food industry; and 
• the promotion of fair trading in food.

In undertaking these activities ANZFA is required to involve:

• the Australian and New Zealand people; 
• government representatives; 
• representatives of government agencies; 
• consumer groups; 
• small business; 
• industry; 
• public health professionals and their representative organisations; and 
• other interested parties.

Our Key Result Areas

In achieving our outcomes we will, for the period 2001-2002 to 2003-2004, focus our efforts on the following Key Result Areas (KRAs).

Key Result Areas	Action Areas
Delivering our statutory objectives by implementing, managing and monitoring the Food Standards Code and other regulatory measures.	assessing applications and proposals to amend/vary the Food Standards Code; using our surveillance processes to inform policy development; undertaking the monitoring and evaluation of hazards in food to support the development of food regulatory measures; working with our new partners to implement arrangements for primary production standards; and supporting stakeholders in the implementation of the Food Standards Code by such strategies as conducting forums, producing guidelines, by developing practical strategies for supporting small business.
managing the changing nature of our role as we move to implement the new approach to the management of food regulation.	monitoring our changing external environment; enhancing relationships with our current partners and the broader community and developing new relationships with our new partners and the broader community; building a stronger relationship between the staff and the Board and supporting the new responsibilities of the Board; enhancing our links with the Department of Health and Aged Care, Ministry of Health and other jurisdictional agencies; enhancing our links with government agencies across all jurisdictions; enhancing our links with consumers and public health organisations; creating new and stronger links with the primary industry sector; and developing a more consistent approach to policy development and standards setting processes
effectively managing and enhancing the standards development process.	formulation of a research management strategy; improving the evidence base for scientific risk assessments; determining suitable assessment processes, tools and techniques including risk analysis; developing organisational capacity for economic/social/cultural analysis; incorporating effective risk management practices into our standards work; improved delivery of the RIS processes and better integration into, and assessment of, cost/benefit analysis into the processes; integrating scientific risk assessment with analysis of socio/economic factors and priorities;   strengthen our planning and project management expertise and capacities; and improving our processes for assessing applications and proposals to amend/vary the Food Standards Code
establishing and implementing a common regulatory approach and evaluation strategies with other agencies.	developing and implementing an evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of new food standards and other regulatory measures; identifying and implementing, in consultation with other agencies, an optimal Australian MRL setting process; developing effective working relationships with DHAC (re the management of Ministerial Council business), the Office of Gene Technology (re the assessment of genetically modified foods)and with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (re the regulation of foods at the food/drug interface); developing close and effective working relationships with particular New Zealand agencies including Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and ERMA to maximise consistency; developing a procedure, in consultation with other agencies for the processing of extraneous residue limits (ERLs) and import MRLs; developing effective procedures with AQIS on imported food controls including a protocol for food control emergency situations; and monitoring the impact of a common regulatory approach and evaluation strategies on all jurisdictions including New Zealand.
supporting public health measures.	contributing broadly to advances in public health nutrition; identifying and communicating nutritional risks and benefits; developing economic modelling to assess nutritional risks and benefits; working with key public health agencies to promote the role of food regulation in public health and nutrition.
providing greater opportunities for community involvement in our processes.	effectively strengthening our relationships with New Zealand, the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments in Australia and with non-government bodies; improving and targeting our communication strategies (especially with media) and consultation strategies; and using alternative technologies to support effective two-way communication with our stakeholders.
assessing the impact of our priorities from a jurisdictional perspective, in particular New Zealand.	improving our bilateral relationship; and using effective working relationships with jurisdictions to improve Standards outcomes and to evaluate their impacts.
strengthening and enhancing our international relationships.	maintaining and strengthening our role, relationships and strategic alliances with international agencies (such as Codex, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization); strengthening our relationships in key regions such as North America and the European Union; developing a strategy to facilitate the harmonisation of food standards through APEC/ASEAN in the Asia Pacific region; communicating and promoting the new Code to the region and more broadly internationally as a framework for food regulation; investigating processes and activities used by national agencies and international bodies to inform improvements to ANZFA processes.
proactively managing emerging issues.	understanding the science/techniques and skills required for assessing new foods; developing a policy and analysis framework on scientific evidence for novel foods that manages the uncertainty and risks of these new foods; and improved environmental scanning and strategic planning.
developing and maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of our organization.	guiding the organisation through a period of change as we adopt to the new working arrangements; supporting staff in this period of change; establishing and implementing a strategic framework for more effective human resource management ensuring an appropriate mix and balance of skills in our workforce; implementing practices to develop and retain staff; creating a supportive organisational culture; continually reviewing and improving ANZFA work practices and systems; and enhancing risk management in our business practices

 

Performance Information and links to Portfolio Budget Statements

Indicators	Target	Information Source
The following indicators are designed to measure how effectively our Outputs have been achieved	The following objectives and targets are identified for each Indicator.	Identifies the source of information where performance reporting may be found
Indicator 1. Level of understanding and acceptance of new Food Standards Code and Food Safety Standards by industry and consumers. Indicator 2. Timely implementation of new regulatory regime for food standards setting. Indicator 3. Timely implementation of Government decisions on the review of the Australia New Zealand Treaty. Indicator 4.  Timely and effective monitoring of potential food hazards and coordination of responses to hazards in the food supply.	Increased understanding and acceptance over time (2-5 years)   Implementation within time frames set by Government. Implementation of changed arrangements by the end of June 2002. Timely and completed coordination of food recalls. Improved mechanisms for standardising enforcement issues and effective sharing of information on food hazards.	ANZFA Annual Report and survey data. Hotline statistics ANZFA Annual Report   ANZFA Annual Report   ANZFA log of recalls and ANZFA Annual Report

Our Planning Framework

ANZFA operates within the Health and Aged Care portfolio. Our portfolio outcome is to:

           promote and protect the health of all Australians and minimise the incidence of preventable mortality, illness, injury and disability.

ANZFA' s planning framework is in a process of constant change and improvement. The Corporate Plan provides the overall strategic focus for the next three years while the Business Plan identifies the activities at the Program level that will be carried out to meet our stated objectives.

The Portfolio Budget Statements (for the Department of Health and Aged Care) refer to funding allocations, objectives and associated performance measures for the financial year. ANZFA' s Business Plan is output oriented and provides information on the contribution of activities to achieving outcomes, including performance measures for our outputs.

ANZFA' s performance against these various targets and measures are published in the Authority' s Annual Report.

ANZFA embraces the Australian Public Service values and recognises the role they play in complementing the Authority' s overall corporate vision and organisational goals.

ANZFA

The primary role of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is to protect the health and safety of the people of Australia and New Zealand by maintaining a safe food supply.

 ANZFA is a partnership between Australia s Federal, State and Territory governments and the New Zealand Government.

 In seeking to ensure a high standard of public health protection, ANZFA works to achieve:

• A high degree of consumer confidence in the quality and safety of food produced, processed, sold or exported from Australia and New Zealand
• An effective, transparent and accountable regulatory framework within which the food industry can work efficiently
• The provision of adequate information relating to food to enable consumers to make informed choices
• The establishment of common rules for both countries and the promotion of consistency between domestic and international food regulatory measures without reducing the safeguards applying to public health and consumer protection.

 This work is done by ANZFA toxicologists, microbiologists, food technologists, nutritionists and a range of other professionals who provide other scientific, legal, communications, policy, medical and administrative advice and services.