The New Zealand Food safety Authority
Executive Director's Introduction
In July 2007, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) will celebrate its fifth year since establishment. The five years have seen considerable progress in delivering on our two key roles of:
- protecting and promoting public health and safety;
- facilitating access to markets for New Zealand's food and food-related products;
and on our vision of “A world-leading food regulatory programme that has the confidence of its stakeholders”.
But there is still considerable work to be done. With the completion of our Domestic Food, Imported Food and Wild Food Reviews and Government agreement on the direction for these, 2007/08 will see NZFSA working to implement a new food regulatory programme designed to greater protect consumers and position New Zealand's vital domestic and export food industry for the future. Working internationally to maintain and enhance market access for exports continues to demand priority attention.
NZFSA is a semi-autonomous body attached to MAF2. Its goals and objectives link to and align with those outlined in the MAF Statement of Intent. This section describes NZFSA's plans for the coming year and our direction for the future.
NZFSA'S Contribution to Government Priorities
NZFSA's efforts will contribute primarily to the Government priorities of:
- economic transformation; and
- families, young and old.
NZFSA'S Focus
For NZFSA to succeed, there must be a strong relationship between the primary outcomes Government is seeking for our economic base, community and environment, and the intermediate outcomes directly impacted by NZFSA's work. Together these contribute to achieving Government's goals for New Zealand. This necessarily involves a mix of strategic and business as usual activities. The diagram below illustrates these relationships:
NZFSA Outcome and Strategic Framework
In pursuing each of the stated outcomes, NZFSA will develop and enhance linkages with its stakeholders. These include Government and other regulators, (both within New Zealand and internationally), industry, public interest groups and consumers.
In some instances, NZFSA contributes to joint outcomes with other parts of Government - including Safe and Freer Rules-Based Trade with MAF Policy, MAF Biosecurity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and Healthy New Zealanders with the Ministry of Health (MoH). We also have direct linkages with the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) and MoH via the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act and direct linkages with local government in the delivery of community outcomes. NZFSA will also be working collaboratively with other agencies in pursuit of the longer term objectives each of these seek in their own Statements of Intent.
Intermediate Outcomes
This section describes how NZFSA will deliver its intermediate outcomes:
People:
Intermediate Outcome - Safe and suitable food for New Zealanders
NZFSA will:
- implement a policy and regulatory environment that facilitates effective administration of food and food related products;
- consistently apply NZFSA's framework for managing risk;
- develop hazard-based and risk-based standards, using high quality scientific information and risk analysis expertise, which reduce consumer exposure to foodborne pathogens and chemical hazards;
- effectively address new and emerging hazards in the food supply;
- effectively manage suitability characteristics of food;
- involve stakeholders in policy and standards development, the regulatory decision-making process and in the wider management of the programme;
- respond appropriately to untoward food safety events and incidents;
- maintain appropriate technical capability;
- effectively communicate with stakeholders;
- measure and review the performance of all regulatory activities against agreed performance measures; and
- maintain linkages with other Government sectors that have a role in public health.
Economy:
Intermediate Outcome - Market access (technical or non-tariff related) for New Zealand's animal and plant products is maintained and enhanced
NZFSA will:
- effectively negotiate market access conditions and establish certification requirements with the competent authorities of countries importing New Zealand's food and food related products;
- effectively manage bilateral agreements impacting on our food trade such as the Closer Economic Relations with Australia, the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement and the EU-NZ Sanitary Agreement;
- effectively manage trading partner relationships;
- develop and present cases for judgments of equivalence of New Zealand food hygiene measures where beneficial; and
- manage trade related responses in the event of food safety emergencies.
Intermediate Outcome - New Zealand's reputation for consistent and principled treatment of exports and imports according to international rules is maintained and enhanced
NZFSA will:
- continue to be recognised as a trusted and highly credible “competent authority”;
- provide official assurances that are consistent with the ethical requirements of Codex and OIE;
- demonstrate effective performance of the regulatory programme for imported, domestically produced and exported food and food related products;
- continue to base standards on science and risk assessment, together with transparent and systematic risk management processes;
- develop and maintain strategic alliances, networks and linkages; and
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ensure New Zealand is seen internationally as a principled trader where trade is treated as a “two way street”. This will necessitate:
- consistent application of international trade agreements and protocols to both imported and exported products;
- being an active and principled participant in international forums such as the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement Committee, the food standards setting body, Codex Alimentarius and expert international working parties;
- influencing the setting of relevant standards affecting food by competent authorities other than NZFSA to ensure proportionality to risk and consistency with international obligations;
- establishing and maintaining effective liaison with other parts of MAF, MFAT and other Government agencies on trade-related issues.
Intermediate Outcome - A business environment for the agriculture, food, forestry and related sectors that supports innovation, enterprise and high performance
NZFSA will:
- empower and enable industry to meet its responsibilities in a climate of commercial certainty within the food and food related regulatory environment;
- establish minimum, effective, consistent and equitable interventions or regulations;
- provide a focus on “outcome-based standards” so as to give industry maximum flexibility in the application of regulatory standards;
- work with industry in their establishment of voluntary standards;
- undertake and/or commission operational research that provides the scientific basis for regulations supporting innovation, enterprise and high performance;
- maintain transparent, equitable and sustainable cost recovery;
- provide competent and cost-effective verification services;
- involve regulated parties in policy and standards development and take into account their interests and concerns; and
- ensure food administration reflects whole-of-government interests.
Strategy in Action
NZFSA has identified a number of key programmes needed to deliver the intermediate outcomes outlined above. These include:
Implement the outcome of food reviews
Domestic Food
Following a lengthy period of review, the Government has accepted NZFSA's proposals to redesign New Zealand's food regulatory system. The changes will cover all aspects of the safety, nutrition and suitability of food produced, imported, processed, manufactured, transported, stored and traded in New Zealand. This includes all food, whatever its source and however it reached the point of sale, and whether for profit or for charity.
To do this NZFSA will need to:
- develop a new Food Bill; clarify the roles and responsibilities of the regulators;
- introduce a range of risk-based tools designed to help food operators manage food safety and suitability in the future;
- develop education and training requirements for food operators; and
- implement the programme in close cooperation with local government and public health units.
Imported Foods
After a detailed review of current arrangements, NZFSA has developed a new programme for food imported into New Zealand. This has been designed to manage food safety issues at the appropriate point in the food chain, be flexible, and ensure controls on imported foods are effective, efficient and based on sound science. Rather than inspecting or testing imports when they arrive in the country, the new imports programme provides a variety of ways to import food safely.
Support systems are being developed and risk profiling undertaken to determine the regulatory interest level of each food/hazard combination is being progressed. It is intended the new imported food programme will commence when the new Food Bill is enacted.
Meet Stakeholders' Needs
NZFSA's extensive stakeholder base includes every consumer of food produced in this country, whether they live in New Zealand or overseas, the New Zealand farming and food industries and other regulators, government departments and Ministers.
NZFSA will continue to enhance its programme to meet the needs of these groups. This includes working with stakeholders through a consultative process and ensuring they have adequate opportunities to participate in the food regulatory decision-making process. Industry must have opportunities to provide input on matters affecting them and consumers must have sufficient sound information to enable them to make informed choices on the food they eat.
Strengthening New Zealand's reputation in international trade
Market Access Strategy
NZFSA is developing a Market Access Strategy that identifies strategic priorities as a consequence of the environmental scanning, and export food sector analysis relating to New Zealand food and food related exporters.
The Market Access Strategy will be compatible with, and rely implicitly on, the strategies of NZFSA and other MAF business groups. The strategy depends on NZFSA, MAF, MFAT, ERMA and other related agencies working collaboratively to enhance New Zealand business environment and economic prospects. NZFSA also depends on a world class science programme, state of the art standards, an innovative information technology platform and compliance with standards and rigorous adherence to SPS principles, all of which are prerequisites of, and leverage planks for, any credible market access strategy. The Strategy also depends on: our people, our credibility, our capability to work together, our networks, our intelligence gathering capabilities and our negotiating skills.
The Market Access Strategy will fully contribute to the NZFSA Strategy and its overarching objectives and goals. It will use Government and stakeholder resources to efficiently maximise the benefits to New Zealand.
Export Assurance Strategy
NZFSA will define the needs, and outline the plan for, the development of a cohesive Export Assurance Programme for the assessment of regulatory compliance through verification and eligibility of food products from production to acceptance by the importing competent authority. The programme will provide the basis, standards and procedures for all assurances provided by NZFSA for exported food products. Verification and certification are the cornerstones of any Export Assurance Programme. Confidence in the robustness of verification processes for generic export requirements, specific market requirements, residue testing and laboratory systems provides a strong platform for recognising the integrity and ethics of official assurances issued by the New Zealand Government. Without robust linkages of verification to certification, NZFSA cannot reliably confirm product eligibility.
Enhance our organisational development
NZFSA must ensure it is able to meet the challenges, expectations and needs of stakeholders into the future. To do this, the organisation must be adequately resourced, consider future capability needs and develop a culture with the capacity to work smarter, be responsive and pragmatic and look for the most effective solutions to the issues faced.
Achieving these requires having the right people, supported appropriately and using best practice-based systems and processes.
2 The State Services Commission is currently investigating the separation of NZFSA from MAF, creating a new department to administer food safety. Results of the investigation are required by May 2007 and will include the implications that such a restructure would have in legal, financial and human resource terms. After receiving this advice, Cabinet will decide whether or not to proceed with the separation of NZFSA from MAF.
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
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