The New Zealand Food Safety Authority

Between 2002 and 2007 NZFSA operated as a semi-autonomous body (SAB) attached to MAF, with responsibility for:

Protecting and promoting public health and safety.
Facilitating market access for New Zealand’s food and food-related products.

To achieve this NZFSA needed to implement a food regulatory programme which met New Zealand’s needs for the foreseeable future. It needed to take account of rapidly shifting consumer behaviour and expectations, changing food production and distribution systems, and new and emerging pathogens and risks.

These responsibilities and needs are reflected in NZFSA’s vision to be “a world-leading food regulatory programme that has the confidence of all stakeholders”, and in its mission is “to protect consumers and enhance New Zealand’s position as a trusted supplier of food”.

The work of NZFSA contributes to three strategic outcomes for New Zealand – healthy New Zealanders; enhanced economic growth and prosperity through a high-performing and innovative sector; safe and freer rules-based trade.

To achieve its mission, NZFSA has three major strategic goals and areas of focus:

A food regulatory programme that protects and promotes consumer health

This goal links to MAF’s outcome of “Healthy New Zealanders” and has two NZFSA intermediate outcomes:

Improved safety and suitability of food.
Informed and involved consumers.

A food regulatory programme that supports New Zealand’s economic growth and prosperity

This goal links to MAF’s outcome of “New Zealand’s economic growth and prosperity enhanced through a high performing and innovative sector” and has one NZFSA intermediate outcome:

A food regulatory programme that enhances the business environment.

New Zealand’s international trade in food and food-related products maintained and enhanced

This goal links to MAF’s outcome of “Safe and freer rules based trade” and has two NZFSA intermediate outcomes:

New Zealand’s position as a trusted exporter of food and food-related products is enhanced.
Trade is maintained and enhanced according to international rules.

NZFSA collaborates with others in MAF, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and many other parts of government to deliver on the Government’s outcomes.

NZFSA continued work on a number of major initiatives aimed at delivering greatly enhanced food safety outcomes. Significant achievements for the 2006/07 year included:

Obtaining Government agreement to changes to the food regulatory regime in New Zealand and to a package of measures that will give legislative effect to the changes. These are the result of the Domestic Food Review. Drafting of new legislation – the Food Bill – is underway.
Completing the Imported Food Review and developing a new programme of importing food that manages food safety issues at the appropriate point to ensure required controls. The new regime is expected to begin July 2008.
Contributing to maintaining and expanding market access, including work on developing markets and relationships with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, deepening the relationship with China and continuing the strong relationships with Australia under CER, the EU, the USA and Canada. This year NZFSA secured equivalency arrangements for New Zealand organics with Japan and the USA.
Aligning Export Assurance Programmes across industries to ensure consistency in the provision of official assurances for exported food and food-related products.
Continuing work to ensure consistency within New Zealand with international obligations in relevant legislative frameworks and standards which ensure a consistent Sanitary and Phytosanitary approach.
Completing the implementation of the Animal Products Act (work initiated in 1991), including incorporating the dairy sector.
Continuing work on the ACVM Amendment Bill through to Select Committee consideration.
Continuing to contribute to and support the work of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) in its development of joint Australia-New Zealand labelling and composition standards.
Ongoing work on standards, including implementing the Wine Act.
Publishing and beginning implementation of the Campylobacter Risk Management Strategy.
Completing a review of cost recovery across NZFSA to ensure consistency in treatment and equity in application of fees and charges.
Providing a range of resources to inform, educate and remind consumers about food safety issues. These are very popular and the uptake is high. Among its most popular publications are: Food Safety in Pregnancy, Food Safety When you have Low Immunity, Eating Safely when you have Food Allergies.
Producing a range of consumer resources covering food safety issues as they apply in Māori and Pacific Island contexts to support our community extension programme.
Publishing a Māori Strategy focused on the work, relationships and responsibilities of NZFSA.

In May 2007 the Government announced that NZFSA would operate as a stand-alone public service department effective 1 July 2007. A separate department will provide NZFSA with the basis to focus its core functions. The priority now is to consolidate NZFSA in its new form and ensure it continues to meet the expectations of government, consumers, industry, exporters, trading partners and other stakeholders.

Semi-autonomous body

As a SAB in 2006-07, NZFSA:

Operated under its own independent brand.
Took the primary role in servicing the needs of the Minister for Food Safety.
Administered funds appropriated under Vote Food Safety.
Administered primary, secondary and tertiary legislation relevant to the food safety portfolio.

Contact for Enquiries

Strategy and Performance Group
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington

Tel: +64 4 894 0100
Fax: +64 4 894 0738 Contact this person