New South Wales Food Authority
Encyclopedia
New South Wales Food Authority (NSW Food Authority) is an Australian
government statutory authority, responsible for food safety
and food labelling regulations in the state as well as consumer food safety promotion. It is part of the executive arm of the Government of New South Wales
, within the portfolio of the Minister for Primary Industries, and is a partner agency in the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.
The authority was established in April 2004 with the amalgamation of SafeFood Production NSW and the food inspection activities of the Department of Health
(being the former Food Branch and the food inspection staff of the Area Health Services). SafeFood Production NSW was itself the product of a series of amalgamations of industry-specific organisations.
into force within the state. The authority designs and monitors food safety schemes for industry sectors in the state, licenses food businesses under those schemes, receives notifications for other food businesses, investigates complaints for businesses it monitors, coordinates recalls of food products in the state, coordinates input to national food standards policy and implementation, and advises the Minister for Primary Industries on food standards.
Completing the end-to-end remit of the agency, the Food Act also gives the authority a legislative responsibility 'to provide advice, information, community education and assistance in relation to matters connected with food safety or other interests of consumers in food'.
Before the authority was established, responsibility for food regulation in NSW was divided across a number of state agencies, some with scope limited to specific food sectors such as meat, dairy or seafood or to vertical parts of the food chain such as retail outlets. Various degrees of segmentation remain in other Australian State and territory jurisdictions. Evolution in the food, transport and trade industries was creating greater complexity in market structures, business reach and government regulation. The establishment of the authority was designed to create a more streamlined, consistent and efficient approach to food regulation in NSW and a single point of contact for both the food industry and public.
Some overlap of government agency remits regulating the sale of food remain, however, with the NSW Office of Fair Trading (OFT) empowered to enforce the Trade Measurement Act 1989 (NSW) and Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW) and, at the federal level, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
enforcing the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cwlth). Furthermore, local government is also empowered to enforce food standards under the Food Act, mostly at the level of retail food outlets. The authority works with local councils to minimise overlap and duplication at the retail level and enhance consistency of enforcement activities and skills across the state. In July 2008, amendments to the Food Act formalised and mandated the (previously optional) food safety enforcement functions of local government. The amendments enabled the authority to appoint, after consultation, each local council to one of three predefined categories setting out each's food safety enforcement powers and responsibilities.
advocates and the media
.
A complimentary initiative termed 'Scores on Doors'
is in pilot among some NSW local government areas and entails public display by participating retail food outlets of food safety inspection results, including those for high performing outlets as well as poorly performing ones.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
government statutory authority, responsible for food safety
Food safety
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
and food labelling regulations in the state as well as consumer food safety promotion. It is part of the executive arm of the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
, within the portfolio of the Minister for Primary Industries, and is a partner agency in the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.
The authority was established in April 2004 with the amalgamation of SafeFood Production NSW and the food inspection activities of the Department of Health
New South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
(being the former Food Branch and the food inspection staff of the Area Health Services). SafeFood Production NSW was itself the product of a series of amalgamations of industry-specific organisations.
Remit
The authority enforces the Food Act 2003 (NSW) and associated regulations within New South Wales in respect of all food for sale. The act brings the bi-national Food Standards Code maintained by Food Standards Australia New ZealandFood Standards Australia New Zealand
Food Standards Australia New Zealand is the governmental body responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand .FSANZ develops food standards after consulting with other government agencies and stakeholders...
into force within the state. The authority designs and monitors food safety schemes for industry sectors in the state, licenses food businesses under those schemes, receives notifications for other food businesses, investigates complaints for businesses it monitors, coordinates recalls of food products in the state, coordinates input to national food standards policy and implementation, and advises the Minister for Primary Industries on food standards.
Completing the end-to-end remit of the agency, the Food Act also gives the authority a legislative responsibility 'to provide advice, information, community education and assistance in relation to matters connected with food safety or other interests of consumers in food'.
Scope of activities
The authority is Australia’s first completely integrated or 'through-chain' state food regulation agency, responsible for food safety and food labelling across the food industry, from point of harvest or manufacture through processing, transport, storage and wholesale to point-of-sale and, arguably, point of consumption (see Remit, below). Both policy and enforcement activities are evidence-led.Before the authority was established, responsibility for food regulation in NSW was divided across a number of state agencies, some with scope limited to specific food sectors such as meat, dairy or seafood or to vertical parts of the food chain such as retail outlets. Various degrees of segmentation remain in other Australian State and territory jurisdictions. Evolution in the food, transport and trade industries was creating greater complexity in market structures, business reach and government regulation. The establishment of the authority was designed to create a more streamlined, consistent and efficient approach to food regulation in NSW and a single point of contact for both the food industry and public.
Some overlap of government agency remits regulating the sale of food remain, however, with the NSW Office of Fair Trading (OFT) empowered to enforce the Trade Measurement Act 1989 (NSW) and Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW) and, at the federal level, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
enforcing the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cwlth). Furthermore, local government is also empowered to enforce food standards under the Food Act, mostly at the level of retail food outlets. The authority works with local councils to minimise overlap and duplication at the retail level and enhance consistency of enforcement activities and skills across the state. In July 2008, amendments to the Food Act formalised and mandated the (previously optional) food safety enforcement functions of local government. The amendments enabled the authority to appoint, after consultation, each local council to one of three predefined categories setting out each's food safety enforcement powers and responsibilities.
Name and shame initiative
In July 2008 the NSW government passed laws amending existing provisions which allowed the authority to publish details of successful food business prosecutions on its website http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/offences/. The new laws added, for the first time in Australia, provisions allowing for publication of details of penalty notices—akin to 'on-the-spot' fines—issued by enforcement staff for alleged breaches of food safety standards. Known colloquially as 'naming and shaming' food outlets, the initiative was a response to growing public demand for access to food business performance information, freedom of informationFreedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
advocates and the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
.
A complimentary initiative termed 'Scores on Doors'
Scores on the doors
Scores on the doors is a generic term for publication or display of food hygiene or food safety inspection results of food businesses. In the UK and some other jurisdictions, summaries of the inspection results are published while elsewhere, a grade or score is all that is published.-Origin:At the...
is in pilot among some NSW local government areas and entails public display by participating retail food outlets of food safety inspection results, including those for high performing outlets as well as poorly performing ones.
See also
- Food safetyFood safetyFood safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
- Foodborne illnessFoodborne illnessFoodborne illness is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms.-Causes:Foodborne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or...
- Food allergyFood allergyA food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. They are distinct from other adverse responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacological reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions....
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)Hazard Analysis and Critical Control PointsHazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP , is a systematic preventive approach to food safety and pharmaceutical safety that addresses physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection...
, risk management methodology - Public Service Association of NSWPublic Service Association of NSWThe Public Service Association of NSW is a union which represents New South Wales Government, NSW university and related private sector employees. The union is registered under New South Wales state legislation....
, the union covering administrative and support staff employed in NSW Food Authority
External links
- NSW Food Authority website
- Name and shame lists, NSW
- Scores on Doors NSW (Australia) information for consumers and retail businesses
- Food Act 2003 (NSW) on www.legislation.nsw.gov.au
- Food Standards Code on FSANZ website