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Supplementary Order Paper No 355

  • withdrawn on 06 December 2017

No 355

House of Representatives

Supplementary Order Paper

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Food Safety Law Reform Bill

Proposed amendments

Steffan Browning, in Committee, to move the following amendments:

New clauses 3A and 3B

After clause 3 (page 14, after line 6), insert:

3A Section 4 amended (Purpose)

In section 4(f), replace “.” with “; and”, and after section 4(f), insert:

(g)

require regular and effective monitoring and enforcement of food labelling requirements for irradiated foods and genetically modified foods.

3B Section 8 amended (Interpretation)

In section 8, insert in their appropriate alphabetical order:

genetically modified food means food or ingredients of food that contain novel DNA or novel protein, as defined in Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.5.2

irradiated food means food, or food that contains ingredients or components, that is required to be labelled as irradiated food by Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.5.3

Clause 4

In clause 4 (page 14, after line 10), insert as subsection (2):

(2)

After section 18(2), insert:

(3)

The chief executive must ensure regular and effective monitoring and enforcement of food labelling requirements for irradiated foods and genetically modified foods.

Explanatory note

This Supplementary Order Paper amends the Food Safety Law Reform Bill, amending clause 4, to require the chief executive to regularly and extensively monitor and enforce the labelling of genetically modified food or ingredients with the words “genetically modified”. Genetically modified food is defined in new clause 3B as food (including food additives and processing aids) that contain novel DNA or novel protein, as defined in Standard 1.5.2 of the Food Standards Code in 2016. Some genetically modified foods have been shown to have food safety risks and consumers must have confidence that genetically modified foods are labelled at all times. Neither monitoring nor enforcement of genetically modified food labelling requirements has been directed by the Minister, or the chief executive responsible, since 2003, although considerable amounts of genetically modified food is imported.

The proposed amendment to clause 4 would also require the chief executive to regularly and extensively monitor and enforce that irradiated foods, irradiated ingredients or components, as defined in Standard 1.5.3 of the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code in 2016, must be labelled with the words “irradiated (name of food)” or “treated with ionizing radiation”. Monitoring and enforcement of labelling requirements, as outlined in Standard 1.5.3 of the current Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code, are currently not being monitored or enforced to the expectations of consumers concerned with the safety or nutritional profile of their food.

Consumers need clear labelling to make informed purchasing choices.

The Food Safety Law Reform Bill is focused on measures to maintain and strengthen New Zealand’s reputation as a supplier of safe and suitable food, with particular focus on industry monitoring, compliance and availability of information, and the design of delegated legislation. This Supplementary Order Paper is to make explicit that certain monitoring, compliance and availability of information occurs, as intended under section 18 of the Food Act 2014.