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Australian questionnaire to assess BSE risk

Australian questionnaire to assess BSE risk Download File Questionnaire to Assess BSE Risk - March 2020 (PDF 948KB) Acceptance of a submission from an applicant country for an assessment of BSE risk is based on the provision of comprehensive data and supporting evidence from the Competent Authority over the five areas listed…

Published 5 July 2023

The BSE risk assessment process and certification

The BSE risk assessment process and certification BSE-Risk-Assessment-Process-and-Certification-25-March-2020.png Text version STEP 1 Country Applies for Assessment

• A country applies for assessment to the Australian BSE Food Safety Assessment Committee (the Committee). The Committee prioritises applications for assessment.

• FSANZ undertakes a risk assessment that assesses BSE-related controls across the beef supply chain. The risk assessment is reviewed by the Committee, and a draft report with interim BSE risk category is provided to the applicant country for a 60 day comment period. If required, a visit by Australian Government…

  Published 25 March 2020

Status of country BSE food safety risk assessments

Status of country BSE food safety risk assessments ​​The Australian Government's BSE food safety policy 2009 requires that all countries exporting or seeking to export beef or beef products to Australia have a food safety risk assessment undertaken by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). ​ The FSANZ risk assessment includes a desk assessment and an in-country verification assessment. It examines the effectiveness of BSE-related controls throughout the beef production chain in the applicant country including animal feeding practices, transportation, animal identification and traceability, slaughtering, and food safety and food recall systems. ​ Countries categorised as either Category 1 or 2 are eligible to export beef and beef products to Australia subject to the relevant certification…

Published 14 June 2017

BSE food safety risk assessment report for Chile

BSE food safety risk assessment report for Chile (March 2014) FSANZ has completed its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) food safety assessment for the Republic of Chile. Download the food safety risk assessment report The Australian Government's BSE food safety policy requires that all countries exporting or seeking to export beef to Australia have a risk assessment undertaken by FSANZ. The risk assessment shows that Chile has effective controls for prevention of BSE in place. FSANZ has concluded that the risk posed to consumers from beef products exported from Chile is negligible. FSANZ examined the effectiveness of BSE-related controls throughout the beef production chain in Chile. Animal feeding practices, transportation,…

Published 18 April 2017

BSE food safety risk assessment reports for Latvia and Lithuania

BSE food safety risk assessment reports for Latvia and Lithuania (July 2013) FSANZ has completed Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) food safety assessments for the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania. This brings the total number of countries for which FSANZ has completed BSE food safety assessment to 6. The other four countries that FSANZ has completed BSE food safety assessment are: New Zealand, the Republic of Croatia, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Vanuatu. Download the food safety risk assessment reports The Australian Government's BSE food safety policy requires that all countries exporting or seeking to export beef to Australia have a risk assessment undertaken by FSANZ. The risk…

Published 18 April 2017

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)   Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible and fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle. Variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (vCJD), a rare and fatal human neurodegenerative condition, results from exposure to BSE through eating contaminated beef or beef products. BSE has never been detected in cattle in Australia or New Zealand. The World Organization for Animal Health recognises both countries as having a negligible BSE risk status. What causes BSE? Most scientists think that BSE is caused by a protein called a prion. For reasons that are not completely understood, the normal prion changes into an abnormal prion that is harmful. Both vCJD and BSE are not contagious. A person (or a cow) cannot catch vCJD or BSE from being near a sick person or cow…

Published 14 July 2023

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and raw Pacific oysters from Coffin Bay, SA

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and raw Pacific oysters from Coffin Bay, SA

Latest update: As of 15 December 2021, South Australian authorities are permitting some oyster farmers in the Coffin Bay growing area to recommence harvesting and sale of oysters.  For more information refer to the PIRSA and SA Health websites below.  

Published 20 December 2021

How to recall food

How to recall food 1. Contact your food enforcement agency First, seek advice from a recall action officer from the food enforcement agency in the state/territory where your head office is located. These officers can assist with determining if a recall is necessary and what type of recall (consumer or trade).

• State and territory food recall contacts

Published 1 December 2021

FAQs for food businesses

FAQs for food businesses Do I need a recall plan? All food manufacturers, importers and wholesale suppliers must have a written food recall plan in place to ensure unsafe food can be quickly removed from the food supply chain. This is a requirement under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements. The plan should specify the procedures, staff responsibilities and records needed as part of the business's recall system. I don't have a recall plan - how do I develop one? If a food business does not have a recall plan, FSANZ's simple…

Published 5 April 2018

Food Industry Recall Protocol

Food Industry Recall Protocol The Food Industry Recall Protocol provides information on recalling food in Australia and guidance for food businesses on developing a written food recall plan. A food recall is action taken to remove from distribution, sale and consumption, food which is unsafe. This means food that may cause illness or other physical harm to a person consuming the food. The three primary objectives of a food recall are to:

• stop the distribution and sale of the product as soon as possible
• inform the government, the food businesses that have received the recalled food and the public (consumer level recalls only) of the problem
• effectively and efficiently remove unsafe product from the market place.

Published 26 May 2023