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17 March 2006
FSANZ AND STANDARDS AUSTRALIA TO WORK CLOSER TOGETHER
Standards Australia and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today signed a memorandum of understanding to work closer in developing food standards in Australia.
Mr Graham Peachey, Chief Executive Officer of FSANZ and Mr John Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of Standards Australia signed the memorandum of understanding.
Mr Peachey said, at the signing ceremony in Canberra today, that work in food standards setting sometimes overlapped the broader standards work of Standards Australia.
“We’ve seen some important collaborative work in the last 12 months between the two organisations.
“An example of this is the standardisation of fish naming, although it was not a food safety issue both FSANZ and Standards Australia worked closely with the seafood industry to finalise a general standard for uniform fish names in 2006. This standard will ensure the seafood industry uses standard names for fish, which often vary from state to state, and it will help prevent consumer confusion.
“Consumers and organic growers are also interested in uniform accreditation for organic food. Once again, this isn’t a safety issue for inclusion in the Food Standards Code but it is under consideration as a future Australian Standard on Organics and biodynamic produce by Standards Australia,” Mr Peachey said.
Mr Tucker said the agreement builds on the positive relationship Standards Australia has shared with FSANZ over many years.
“This is an important agreement that will strengthen ties between the peak food standards developers in Australia and will lead to the development of integrated food standards.
“This is an example of the closer stakeholder relations that we will be establishing in many fields under our new business model.
“Under the memorandum of understanding the two organisations will:
- work together on standard setting and other joint activities;
- provide expertise on each other’s technical committees.;
- work together to ensure there is no overlap between the work of the two agencies; and
- share information related to food industry and consumers needs.
Standards Australia:
Standards Australia develops Australian Standards and other documents of public benefit and national interest. These Standards are developed through an open process of consultation and consensus, in which all interested parties are invited to participate. Through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth Government, Standards Australia is recognised as Australia’s peak non-government national standards body. Standards Australia also supports excellence in design and innovation through the Australian Design Awards.
Standards Australia represents Australia at both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
For further information visit www.standards.org.au
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ):
FSANZ protects the health and safety of the people in Australia and New Zealand by maintaining a safe food supply. FSANZ is a bi-national independent statutory authority that develops food standards for composition, labelling and contaminants, including microbiological limits, that apply to all foods produced or imported for sale in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, FSANZ develops food standards to cover the whole of the food supply chain - from paddock to plate - for both the food manufacturing industry and primary producers. FSANZ works in partnership with Australia' s Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and the New Zealand Government. We also seek to engage industry, consumers and public health professionals in our work. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has offices in Canberra, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand.
For further information visit www.foodstandards.gov.au
Media contacts:
Lydia Buchtmann, FSANZ (02) 6271 2620 or 0401 714 265 mobile
Kate Evans, Standards Australia (02) 8206 6542 or 0410 331 246 mobile