In 1991 the National Food Authority (NFA) was created, when Parliament assented to the National Food Authority Act 1991 and an NFA office was established in Canberra.
The role of the NFA was to prepare and recommend standards to the
National Foods Standards Council (NFSC), consisting of Commonwealth,
state and territory health ministers.
A Food Regulation Agreement (FRA) provided for recognition of the NFA and obliged the states and territories to adopt food standards after majority decisions by the NFSC.
Food standards were automatically adopted by reference, through respective jurisdictional Food Acts, when gazetted by the Commonwealth.
1995
The Agreement between Australia and New Zealand establishing a System for the Development of Joint Food Standards (the Treaty) was signed on 5 December. The joint Code did not come into effect until 2000.
1996
The Treaty, which aimed to harmonise food standards, reduce compliance costs and remove regulatory barriers to trade in food between Australia and New Zealand, came into force in 1996.
A new agency— the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA)—was officially created on 5 July 1996. The Council of Australian Governments and the New Zealand Prime Minister signed the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA). The agreement came into effect in 1998. Read more about the TTMRA
2000
Following legislative changes a new Ministerial Council was created with broader representation. Another significant change was that the Council would set policy and ANZFA would develop and adopt standards.
The Ministerial Council adopted the joint Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code on 24 November. The joint Code was gazetted on 20 December and phased in over a two-year period.
2002
After legislative changes, FSANZ, as we now know it, was established on 1 July 2002.
