Policy decisions were top of the agenda for the first face to face meeting in Sydney of the newly expanded Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation ministerial council.
First topic on the table, country of origin labelling of food. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) had asked the council for policy advice to guide it in its review of country of origin labelling of food. Stressing that the issue was not one of food safety - assured through other means - the council agreed to a policy direction on mandatory country of origin labelling of food on the grounds of enabling consumers to make informed choices.
At present there is a temporary arrangement in place for mandatory country of origin labelling to continue in Australia. New Zealand has had a longstanding provision under fair trading legislation for voluntary country of origin labelling.
Turning to the use of caffeine in foods, the council agreed to maintain current additive permissions for caffeine but to restrict the use of new products containing non-traditional caffeine rich ingredients (including guarana) to boost the caffeine content in other food, beyond the current provisions for caffeine.
Caffeinated kola drinks and formulated caffeinated beverages will be permitted in accordance with the current standards although the council asked for further investigations to be done on the use of guarana and guarana extract and the definition of kola drinks. New evidence will be reviewd in two years time.
On the heated topic of GM labelling, the council agreed to continue with a review of the labelling requirements for genetically modified foods. The review will include a review of Iegislation in place around the world. The Food Regulation Standing Committee (FRSC) was asked to develop terms of reference and advice on the scope of the review.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) risk in Australia was also mooted at the meeting. The council has given FSANZ one year to review the latest scientific evidence on BSE and TSE contamination and transmission risks and international regulatory measures for managing these risks, before reporting back to the council.
Soy based infant formulas were also tabled at the meeting - it was agreed that FSANZ would continue to monitor developments relating to the formula.
Transparency is currently the buzz word of food safety agencies across the world. Australia and New Zealand are no exception and the council took the opportunity of the meeting to emphasise its belief that the community must feel confident in the new food regulatory system. A confidence encouraged by the transparency of policy guideline development, and one that leads to feedback from all interested parties.