- 26 May 2004: Seafood Safety Regulations soon to be nationally enforceable (FSANZ Media Release)
- Mercury in fish (FSANZ fact sheet 9 July 2003)
- Seafood Standard Progress Note 1 (FSANZ fact sheet May 2003)
- Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council submission to FSANZ re: Proposal P265: Development of a Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood
- Frequently Asked Questions: January 2003 (FSANZ fact sheet)
- Issues Paper: - Development of a Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood
- What will the new standard mean for stakeholders? December 2003(FSANZ fact sheet)
- The Australian Industry Seafood Standard by Seafood Services Australia (SSA)
- Seafood Safety Standards are coming...
- New Primary Production (Seafood Standard) Development information:
- Mechanisms for standards development:
- Standards Development (Ministerial Policy Guidelines) information:
- Tasmania's Department of Health & Human Services Food Safety and Legislation webpages:
- Why a National Seafood Safety Standard as the first Primary Production and Processing Standard?
- Setting Standards: The Standards Development Committee (SDC)
Link to FSANZ by clicking on their logo above...
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand or FSANZ (formerly the Australia and New Zealand Food Authority or ANZFA) developed these food safety standards in consultation with State and Territory health authorities, the food industry, and other interested organisations and individuals.
. There are four national food safety standards as follows:
- 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application;
- 3.2.1 Food Safety Programs;
- 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements; and
- 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment.
As a voluntary standard, Standard 3.2.1 Food Safety Programs will apply in only those States or Territories that choose to implement this standard.
The food safety standards will replace existing State and Territory and local government food hygiene regulations that were nationally inconsistent and sometimes significantlyout of date.
These new standards reflect international best practice and are designed to help ensure that food businesses in Australia produce food that is safe to eat.
FSANZ has recently endorsed a guide document to assist with the implementation of the new skills and knowledge requirements of the Food Safety Standards (FSS).
This is a first edition, and should be recognised as a guide only, providing advice for food businesses including the fishing industry.
The aim of this new standard is to both ensure the food safety of seafood and to harmonise export and domestic requirements for the provision of a readier access to export markets.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assumed responsibility for developing primary production and processing standards on 1 July 2002. These standards will be incorporated into a new Chapter 4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
The reform of the Australian food regulatory system, driven by the November 2000 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Food Regulation Agreement included the transfer of responsibility for the development of primary production standards from the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). This is a key component of the new food regulation system in Australia.
The main focus of the new standards will be to ensure that all food produced in Australia is safe to eat. They will also assure harmony with existing standards in that they will reflect international best practice and take into account the standards of Australia’s trading partners.
Once in place, these national standards will become mandatory and enforceable by law.
Prior to this, FSANZ will actively seek industry input into the development of these standards.
The development of primary production and processing standards will involve extensive consultation with primary industry sectors, stakeholders and interested parties. A consultative process such as this will provide an effective nationally consistent approach to regulatory arrangements governing the safe and hygienic production, processing, storage, transportation and handling of food.
This will be achieved through the development of outcome based food safety requirements, and will extend current food safety standards into the primary production sector. The result will be a ‘whole of chain’ approach to regulating food safety within Australia.
In conjunction with Seafood Services Australia, TFIC has been actively involved in the process that is defining these new standards.
1. FSANZ establishes a Standards Development Committee
2. The Initial Assessment is published for public consultation and comment
3. A Draft Assessment is produced, again for public consultation and comment
4. From this process a Final Assessment is produced, becoming the Draft Standard that is presented to the FSANZ Board for
approval.
5. From here the Draft Standard will be considered by the Australia & New Zealand Food Regulations Ministerial Council
(ANZFRMC) for Standard Gazettal
6. Once in place, these national standards will become mandatory and enforceable by law in each state and territory.
Why a National Seafood Safety Standard as the first Primary Production and Processing Standard?
- Seafood is regarded as a high risk product
- Other sectors with high risk (meat) are already well regulated by industry or jurisdiction arrangements
- National regulation for seafood exists at the retail level
- The seafood industry does not have a national industry standard
- There is a need for consistency – proliferating approaches to food safety, QA systems and codes of practice (industry and jurisdiction driven) put a significant impost onto industry eg., additional cost, can impede trade etc...
- A single national mandatory standard will protect public health and safety
- Important for food safety, consumer confidence, business competitiveness and trade
Seafood standard: What is under consideration???
- The scope of the standard
- The definition of primary food production
- Harmonisation of export and domestic requirements and international standards
- Consistency with Chapter 3 Food Standards Code
- Implementation and enforcement strategies
Chemical Hazards
- Pesticide residues in farmed crustacea/finfish
- Antibiotic residues in farmed product
- Heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium
- Toxins associated with seafood
- Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) in Reef Fish
- Scombrotoxin in tunas, mackerels, snapper, sardines
- Paralytic/Diarrhetic/Amnesic Shellfish Poison in Bivalves
- Biotoxin in Pipis
Microbiological Hazards
- Viral pathogens of faecal origin
- eg: Hep A, SRSV, Norwalk Viruses, Rotaviruses
- Bacterial pathogens of faecal origin: eg: Salmonella sp, Vibrio cholerae
- Pathogens of environmental origin: eg: Listeria, Vibrio, Clostridium botulinum
- Parasites: eg: tapeworms, Trematodes (flukes)
Risk Assessment across the foodchain will:
- Identify food safety risks
- Identify points in the foodchain where hazards are introduced (critical control points)
- Identify mitigation strategies for critical control points
. Impacts of Primary Production and Processing (PPP) Standards
The Primary Production and Processing Standards will:
- Ensure food safety is considered through a whole of food chain approach (‘farm to fork’)
- Ensure for the first time in Australia that food safety regulations are nationally consistent and harmonised with international standards
- Focus on food safety
- Be outcomes based rather than prescriptive
- Be based on scientific risk assessment
- Be consistent with Chapter 3 of the ‘Food Standards Code’,
- Be consistent with Codex and World Trade Organisation agreements
Standards will form a new chapter 4 of the Food Standards Code
Advantages of national PPP standards
- Consistent Food Standards within a national framework, addressing the entire foodchain
- Reduction in food borne illness
- Greater confidence in food safety for industry and consumers
- Advantage for trade negotiations
- Harmonisation with Codex food safety standards and export requirements
- Reduction in trade barriers
- “Level playing field”
- Sets a baseline for trade negotiation based on food safety
- Minimum cost effective food regulation for industry and Government
- Minimal regulatory impost to industry whilst still allowing for innovation
Responsibilities for the Primary Production and Processing sector
- Mandatory and enforceable national standards with respect to food safety (not quality)
- Greater onus on the industry to produce safe food
Setting standards for the seafood industry
FSANZ has recently assumed responsibility for the development of primary production and processing standards that will be mandatory in Australia. The first such standard to be developed under the new regulatory framework will be for the seafood sector.
The seafood standard will focus on food safety, be outcome-based, consistent with the existing standards within the Food Standards Code and harmonise, as far as possible, with international and national approaches to regulating the safety of seafood.
In developing these standards, FSANZ is required to establish a Standards Development Committee (SDC) that includes appropriate expertise and brings informed views from industry, government, research and consumers. The role of the SDC is to provide advice and expertise to FSANZ as a part of the standard development process. FSANZ publicly sought nominations to the seafood SDC in August 2002, and also invited nominations from government through the Food Regulation Standing Committee.
The FSANZ Board has subsequently appointed the following people to the seafood SDC:
- Industry: Richard Stevens, Colin Dyke, Bryan Skepper, Ted Loveday, Mark Gooley, Martin Perkins, Phillip Walsh
- Consumers: Frank Peters, Rebecca Smith
- Government: Barry Shay, Margaret Darton, Phil Pond, Don Nichols, Richard Souness, Geoff Raven, Craig Midgley, John McCartie, Kerry Bell
- FSANZ: Greg Roche (Chair), Luba Tomaska, Deon Mahoney
The SDC is expected to establish a number of working groups to address specific technical and scientific issues that will need to be considered throughout the standard development process.
The seafood standard will be developed through established FSANZ processes, with the first step being the development of an issues paper for consideration and comment. In December 2002, the FSANZ Board is expected to consider the raising of Proposal documentation, incorporating the issues, to be circulated for public comment.
In developing the seafood standard, FSANZ will take into consideration existing standards, such as the recently completed voluntary industry standard for seafood developed by Seafood Services Australia and the NSW government standard for seafood.