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Mercury in fish - background to the mercury in fish advisory statement

Mercury in fish - background to the mercury in fish advisory statement (March 2004) Food regulators regularly assess the potential risks associated with the presence of contaminants in the food supply to ensure that, for all sections of the population, these risks are minimised. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has recently reviewed its risk assessment for mercury in food. The results from this assessment indicate that certain groups, particularly pregnant women, women intending to become pregnant and young children (up to and including 6 years), should limit their consumption of some types of fish in order to control their exposure to mercury. The risk assessment conducted by FSANZ that was published in 2004 used the most recent data and knowledge available at the time. FSANZ…

Published December 2023

Microbiological Evidence Base Plan 20152019

Microbiological Evidence Base Plan 20152019 (April 2016)   In the food regulation system, FSANZ occupies a central role as an expert, science-based source of advice on a broad range of food-related issues and assessment of food-related risks. To fulfil this role, it's imperative to ensure the advice we provide is robust and up to date.   The overarching aim of FSANZ's Microbiological Evidence Base Plan is to provide a trusted, robust and contemporary microbiological evidence base to support food safety risk-management measures in Australia and New Zealand.The plan links to the FSANZ science Strategy, specifically on how to support Strategic Area 2 - improving scientific evidence.     …

Published December 2023

Mineral levels in Australian fruits and vegs

Mineral levels in Australian fruits and vegs J.H. Cunningham, G. Milligan and L. Trevisan Download: Minerals in Australian fruits and vegetables (word 301 kb) | (pdf 140 kb) Abstract Potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc levels in 44 types of Australian fruits and vegetables were measured in samples purchased in Melbourne, Australia in 2000 or 2001 and compared with the results of analyses conducted between 1981 and 1985 for the same items of produce purchased in Sydney, Australia. A comparison of values at the two time periods does not indicate that there have been significant or consistent changes in the content of these minerals over this time. Overall mean…

Published December 2023

Nanotechnologies in Food Packaging: an Exploratory Appraisal of Safety and Regulation

Nanotechnologies in Food Packaging: an Exploratory Appraisal of Safety and Regulation (June 2016) Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) commissioned ToxConsult Pty Ltd to provide a literature review of the safety and regulation of nanotechnologies in food packaging. To achieve this target, a comprehensive literature search was undertaken in various scientific databases and agency websites; relevant references were sourced and reviewed. In addition, a patent search was conducted with the aim of identifying evidence for nanomaterials currently used in food packaging applications in Australia, New Zealand, United States, Europe, and Asia. It is recognised that not all such technologies may have been identified by the applied search techniques Download:…

Published December 2023

Narrative review - The relationship between dietary trans-fatty acids and adverse health outcomes

Narrative review - The relationship between dietary trans-fatty acids and adverse health outcomes (April 2014) Executive summary Evidence from previous reviews suggests that dietary trans-fatty acid (TFA) intake is positively associated with risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. TFA intake has also been linked to increased risk of other health conditions, however these relationships appear to be less consistent. This narrative review aimed to build on the risk assessment included in the 2009 FSANZ report of Trans Fatty Acids in the New Zealand and Australian Food Supply, by evaluating the recent evidence around TFA intake and associations with a variety of chronic disease outcomes, including CVD and CHD, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.  We also…

Published December 2023

National approach to managing meat safety in Australia

National approach to managing meat safety in Australia (April 2009) Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is an Australian Government Authority responsible for setting food standards for Australia and New Zealand. These food standards are contained in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). This fact sheet describes a new Proposal to develop a standard for the primary production and processing of meat and meat products. The Proposal will examine the meat supply chain with a view to including through-chain measures for meat safety in the Code. Download the National approach to managing meat safety in Australia (pdf 96 kb) Key points The basis of food safety is to ensure it is managed as early in the food…

Published December 2023

New Plant Breeding Techniques - 2013 workshop report

New Plant Breeding Techniques - 2013 workshop report (June 2014) Executive Summary Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) hosted a technical workshop to discuss a number of new plant breeding techniques that have come to the attention of regulators. This was the second workshop to be hosted by FSANZ on this topic. A number of scientists with expertise in plant breeding and biotechnology were invited to participate in the workshop. The objectives of the workshop were to: enhance FSANZ's scientific knowledge and understanding of each of the techniques; and to discuss scientific, technical and regulatory issues, including whether derived food products should be regarded as genetically modified (GM) food. The scientific conclusions of the workshop may constitute a relevant consideration to which FSANZ may…

Published December 2023

New plant breeding techniques

New plant breeding techniques (July 2013) Executive Summary Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) convened an expert scientific panel to provide advice on a number of new plant breeding techniques that have come to the attention of regulators. Appendix 1 provides details of the membership of the panel. The techniques discussed were:

1. Pioneer Hi-Bred International's proprietary seed production technology (SPT) - developed for use in corn to improve the efficiency of hybrid seed production. It involves using a genetically modified (GM) plant line to propagate a male-sterile plant line which is then used as one of the parents to produce hybrid seed. The genetic modification is not inherited by the hybrid plant line.
2. Reverse breeding - a novel…

   Published December 2023

Nutritional impact of phytosanitary irradiation of fruits and vegetables

Nutritional impact of phytosanitary irradiation of fruits and vegetables Executive Summary Low level ionising irradiation can be used as a phytosanitary treatment for insect pest control on fruit and vegetables. FSANZ has previously assessed the safety and nutritional impact of using ionising irradiation for phytosanitary purposes on various tropical fruits as well as tomatoes and capsicums, and found that doses of ≤1 kGy do not present a safety or nutritional risk to Australian and New Zealand consumers. It is expected that in the near future FSANZ will receive a number of applications to irradiate a variety of other fresh fruits and vegetables for quarantine purposes. The objectives of this review were to:

• assess the impact of phytosanitary doses of irradiation on the nutritional…

  Published December 2023

On-farm food safety practices survey of strawberry growing in Victoria

On-farm food safety practices survey of strawberry growing in Victoria (July 2016) Executive summary In 2013, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) proposed a primary production and processing standard (PPPS) for horticulture. However, after consultation in February 2014, FSANZ assessed the Proposal and decided to abandon it in favour of a non-regulatory approach. In abandoning the Proposal, FSANZ undertook to further investigate food safety initiatives in horticulture with a view to developing a non-regulatory approach.   Non-regulatory industry-based food safety schemes have been developed for the horticulture sector in Australia and implemented widely. However there are no nationally consistent food safety regulatory requirements on the primary production of horticultural…

Published December 2023