Week 12 Flashcards
Harmonising global food standards
foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems, and harming national economies, tourism and trade
* Food supply chains now cross multiple national borders – international trade has grown exponentially in last century
* Good collaboration between governments, producers and consumers helps ensure food safety and trust
WHO and FAO – developed the CODEX Alimentarius in 1963 to harmonise international food standards -
Regulation in Australia and NZ
* As a WTO country, Australia is
As a WTO country, Australia is obliged to harmonise its domestic regulations with CODEX standards
* Regulated at a national level by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ)
What does FSANZ do?
develops and administers the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
* The Code regulates the use of ingredients, processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals, the composition of some foods e.g. dairy, meat and beverages, new technologies such as GM foods.
* Responsible for labelling for both packaged and unpackaged food, including specific mandatory warnings or advisory labels.
CODEX
APVMA sets maximum residue limits (MRLs) for agvet chemicals according to good agricultural practice or good veterinary practice
* Limits may differ from Codex as our pests, diseases and environmental factors are different.
Standards that apply to all foods
- Labelling
– eg. nutrition panels, nutrition and health claims - Substances added or present in food
– eg. additives, vitamins and minerals, processing aids - Contaminants and residues
– eg. contaminants and natural toxicants, agvet chemicals - Foods requiring pre-market approval
– eg. novel foods, GMOs, irradiated food - Microbiological limits and processing requirements (for meat) – eg. limits and conditions for Listeria
Nutrition panels
Other components must be included if specific health claims eg. fibre
Allergen labelling
Most food allergies caused by peanuts, treenuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
* Must be declared on label if present as an ingredient or component of food additive or processing aid
* Statements ‘May contain…’ are voluntary
* Example – Picky Picky Peanuts – recalled because of undeclared allergen - Milk
Food safety standards
– Food safety programs eg. HACCP
– Food safety practices and general requirements - food handling controls related to the receipt, storage, processing, display, packaging, transportation, disposal and recall of food. The skills and knowledge of food handlers and their supervisors, the health and hygiene of food handlers, and the cleaning, sanitising and maintenance of food premises and equipment
– Foodpremisesandequipment-designandconstructionoffood premises, fixtures, fittings, equipment and food transport vehicles
Food safety programs for food service to vulnerable persons
– Designed for businesses providing food to hospital patients, aged care residents and children in childcare centres, who are generally at greater risk of foodborne illness.
Potentially hazardous food
- Potentially hazardous foods are generally moist, nutrient-rich foods with a neutral pH
– Raw and cooked meat/poultry eg. burgers, pâté and meat pies
– Foods containing eggs (cooked or raw), beans, nuts or other
protein-rich food, eg. batter, mousse, quiche and tofu
– Dairy products and foods containing dairy products, eg. milk, dairy-based desserts - not yoghurt as it is an acidified product
– Seafood (excluding live seafood) and foods containing seafood, eg. sushi
– Sprouted seeds, eg. of beans and alfalfa
– Prepared fruits and vegetables, eg. cut melons, salads
– Cooked rice and both fresh and cooked pasta
Primary production standards
– Seafood
* Need to identify and control hazards e.g. cannot be harvested from contaminated sites – Poultry meat
* Need to take measures to reduce Campylobacter, Salmonella – Meat
* Inputs and processing regulated. If there is a food incident, this standard allows
for regulators to investigate food safety matters through the entire meat supply chain
– Dairy products
* Need to implement food safety programs related to collection, transportation and
processing
– Eggs and egg products
* Need to identify and control egg safety hazards, sale of dirty or cracked eggs is prohibited and eggs stamped with the producers’ unique identification for traceability
– Seed sprouts
* Aimed at reducing incidence of food-borne illness – supply, treatment, traceability
HACCP –
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system
A logical system of food control based on prevention
How is HACCP applied
- Prevention Focus: HACCP emphasizes preventing hazards at key points in the process.
- Customizable: HACCP plans are tailored to specific food processes (e.g., meat processing, dairy, canning).
- Global Standard: HACCP is recognized internationally and is often a requirement for food safety certification and regulatory compliance
7 principles
FDA promoting ‘New Era of Food Safety’
leveraging enhanced traceability and predictive analytics technologies
Australia - safest food supplies in the world…. but
we have 4.67 million cases of food-borne illness a year costing est. $2.4 billion in 2019 (FSANZ 2022)
- Consumers have to rely on the food regulation system for the provision of safe food
