Background
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (until recently known as Australia New Zealand Food Authority, ANZFA, formerly the National Food Authority, NFA) is a statutory authority operating under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991
The Act provides a focus for cooperation between governments, industry and the community to establish and maintain uniform food regulation in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian food standards are harmonised as a result of an Inter Government Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the States and Territories. Under this agreement, the States and Territories adopt, without variation, Food Standards which have been approved by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) which is the Ministerial Council representing all jurisdictions, including New Zealand.
Australia and New Zealand are working towards the establishment of harmonised food standards in some areas.
Partnership with States and Territories
Under a 1991 agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the States and Territories, the States and Territories adopt, without variation, food standards FSANZ has recommended and which a ministerial council representing all jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth, has approved. The purpose of the 1991 agreement was to consolidate responsibility for developing food standards in one specialist agency and to ensure the uniformity of food standards across all States and Territories, which continue to have primary responsibility for enforcing food laws. In general, these arrangements continue to apply.
On 3 November 2000, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed an Inter Government Agreement (IGA) agreeing to a new food regulatory system. The Commonwealth of Australia and all the Australian States and Territories are signatories to the Agreement. The new arrangements required a renegotiation of the Treaty with New Zealand prior to full implementation.
The Australian Parliament has passed an amendment Act setting up these new arrangements. The Act will come into force by proclamation, following the finalisation of the Treaty amendments.These reforms have been brought about as a result of a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) decision in November 2000 following consideration of the Food Regulation Review (Blair Report) that was presented to Government in August 1998.
Partnership with New Zealand
On 1 July 1996, an Agreement to establish one joint food setting system between Australia and New Zealand came into force. The joint arrangement is to harmonise food standards between the two countries, reduce compliance costs for industry and help remove regulatory barriers to trade in food.
The Agreement does not cover some areas, such as maximum residue limits, food hygiene provisions and export requirements relating to third country trade. It also contains provisions which allow New Zealand to opt out of a joint standard for exceptional reasons relating to health, safety, environmental concerns or cultural issues. In such cases, FSANZ may be asked to prepare a variation to a standard to apply only in New Zealand.
The Agreement between Australia and New Zealand to develop joint food standards requires that FSANZ and the New Zealand Minister of Health conclude a funding and performance agreement annually. This agreement details the services FSANZ is to provide and includes quarterly performance reporting, details of New Zealand's contribution and the payment schedule.
Further information on the arrangements can be obtained from the Food Regulation website
The brochure, ' The New Zealand Food Regulatory Environment ' (July 2004) produced by New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) outlines the role of each organisation and the linkages they share.
Other related documents
Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991
Food Standards Australia New Zealand Regulations 1994