Call for submissions on GM   application

The following is a media release from Food Standards Australia New Zealand and is included here with permission.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on an application to permit food from a genetically modified corn line.  

FSANZ Acting Chief Executive Officer Peter May said the corn had been modified to be tolerant totwo herbicides. 

“FSANZ has conducted a thorough safety assessment on the application and no potential health and safety concerns were identified,” Mr May said.  

”Based on data provided and other available information, food derived from this corn is considered to be as safe forhuman consumption as food derived from conventional corn.” 

Submissions are invited from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community.   

All FSANZ decisions on standards are notified toministers responsible for food regulation. The ministers can decide to adopt, amend, or reject standards or they can ask for a review.  

The closing date for submissions is 22 March 2016.  

More information 

Application A1118 –  Food derived from Herbicide-tolerant Corn Line MON87419

How to make a submission

Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand)​

So it is that time of the year again, when restaurants across the country look up the Financial Review website to see if they made it into the all important Top 500 Restaurants in Australia.

It is the beginning of the process to determine the Top Restaurant in the land.

The Top 500 are all shapes, sizes and styles, and are from all states and territories

The full details can be found on the Financial Review’s website at

http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/food-and-wine/australias-top-500-restaurants-recognised-by-the-afr-and-qantas-20160202-gmjtn8

Did your favourite restaurant make it into the list this year?

I have a friend who was right into everything coconut way before it became the thing in everything and everywhere.

So will this coconut thing become a fixed part of our lives like gluten free food, or will it be a trend?

What about the whole wholegrain thing as well? It is just everywhere.

Well, according to a study in Appetite Communications and Dietitian Connection, coconut oil / water is going to join Kale as foods on their way out. I am sure that my friend will still be adding coconut oil to everything regardless of this.

Appetite Communications and Dietitian Connection did a survey of more than 100 dietitians and as a result suggest the following nutrition trends for 2016.

1. Ancient Grains and Turmeric will be the in thing. I cannot pronounce Quinoa the right way, but had better learn, as it and other grains like spelt, freekah and teff grow in popularity. These ancient grains have been used by cultures around the world for hundreds of years and are high in nutrition.
2. Kale and coconut oil / water will no longer be everywhere. Bone broth is on the way out as well.
3. Low / No sugar and fasting – these will the most popular of dieting methods, but definitely not recommended by the Dietitians.
4. I saw it on the Internet so it must be the truth – the internet allows anyone to put up anything they like, so you have to check that the source is an accredited person and then check the facts again against other reputable sources.

The article also listed several tips from the Dieticians to ensure healthy eating;

Tip 1: Eat mindfully: be aware of and attentive to what you are eating, take your time and enjoy it – this helps to reset your body to respond to the physical need to eat rather than an emotional one

Tip 2: Include more plant-based foods in your diet: think outside the traditional fruit and vege square and look to pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains

Tip 3: Eat guilt-free: enjoy a balanced diet based on core foods with the OCCASIONAL treat

Tip 4: Know your portions: and stick to them

Tip 5: Eat more: fruits and vegetables

Tip 6: Eat less: ‘discretionary foods’ or treats – keep these as an occasional indulgence, not an everyday staple

The following are media releases from Food Standards Australia New Zealand and are included here with it’s permission.

The results of a survey on packaging chemicals in food are reassuring for consumers, Food Standards Australia New Zealand Chief Executive Steve McCutcheon said today. 

Mr McCutcheon said the second phase of the Australian Total Diet Study looked at chemicals that might migrate from packaging into food.

“There were no detections at all for half of the 30 chemicals,” Mr McCutcheon said.

“We detected very low residues of some chemicals in a small number of samples. After undertaking a very conservative safety assessment on these very low levels, FSANZ has concluded there are no safety concerns.

“The screening study identified that further work was required for two of the chemicals tested for (phthalates) and FSANZ will be sampling a wider range of foods for these chemicals so a full dietary exposure assessment can be undertaken.

 “The ATDS results will inform an ongoing review of current food packaging regulations.”

More information

Read a summary of analysis ​(pdf  38.6 kb) | (word  128 kb)

Read more about our work on food packaging

Read the report 

Consultation on irradiation labelling requirements begins

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released a consultation paper on the existing labelling requirements for irradiated foods.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said ministers responsible for food regulation had asked FSANZ to review the requirements in response to a labelling review recommendation.

“It’s important to note that no change to requirements is being proposed at this stage,” Mr McCutcheon said.

“FSANZ is seeking submissions on a range of technical and economic issues related to the mandatory requirements and how information about food irradiation is communicated to consumers.”

“FSANZ is expecting to provide a report to ministers in the second half of 2016.”

The closing date for submissions is 29 March 2016.

More information

Consultation paper – Recommendation 34 mandatory labelling irradiation

How to make a submission

Food irradiation (including current permissions)

Labelling review

Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand)​​

So we’ve all been told that you have to wash your fruit and vegetables before you eat them, right?

Because it make them safe to eat, right?

So is this real or just another of those food safety myths?

The largest food poisoning in whole history was not caused by meats, poultry or seafood (the usual expected culprits) – it was sprouts.

Rockmelons were involved in the food poisoning outbreak in the USA, which resulted in the toughest gaol sentence ever handed down for a food incident.

Washing fruit and vegetables is well known to remove dirt, dust, some chemicals and most bacteria and therefore is a requirement in commercial food businesses to give product safety.

But what determines if the washing is in fact successful?

The quality of the water is vital, if it is contaminated in anyway, what is the point in washing the produce?

Sanitisers (eg; chlorine) added to the water improves the food safety significantly.

The method used to do the washing is also important. The amount of time to do the washing plays a part as well.

The one factor which has the greatest influence on the success of washing is the produce itself.

Why?

Cracks in the skin (eg rockmelons), crinkly surfaces (eg; lettuce) and other skin or produce characteristics will hide dirt, bacteria and chemicals and washing may not remove or even reduce them.

So should we wash our fruits and vegetables at home?

The answer is easy – yes, because if you don’t there is no reduction / removal of the things on the produce that can cause sickness.

The following are two calls for submissions on potential changes to Food Standards Code. They are included here with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Call for submissions on GM corn line application

​Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on its assessment of a corn line that is genetically modified to be tolerant to a herbicide and protected against certain pests.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said the corn had been modified to be tolerant to glufosinate ammonium and to be protected from pests such as the western corn rootworm.

“FSANZ conducted a thorough safety assessment on the application, which included comparing the GM corn with a non-GM corn from a molecular, toxicological and nutritional point of view,” Mr McCutcheon said.  

“The aim of the assessment is to find out if there are any differences between the GM food and its conventional counterpart. No public health or safety issues were identified and the corn was found to be as safe as its conventional counterpart.”

Submissions are invited from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community. 

All FSANZ decisions on standards are notified to ministers responsible for food regulation. The ministers can decide to adopt, amend, or reject standards or they can ask for a review.

The closing date for submissions is 29 March 2016.

More information

Application A1116 –  Food derived from Herbicide-tolerant & Insect-protected Corn Line MZIR098

Information about how to make a submission

Call for submissions on processing aid application

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on an application to use glutaminase sourced from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as a processing aid.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said the application, from Amano Enzyme Inc., stated that the enzyme would be used in the production of certain ingredients or food products used as seasonings, for example yeast extract, soy sauce, miso, vinegar or fish sauce.

“Glutaminase catalyses the conversion of L-glutamine to glutamate, an important component of taste and quality in food, and it could be used as an alternative to other processes to produce high glutamate foods or ingredients,” Mr McCutcheon said.

“FSANZ found no public health and safety issues associated with the source microorganism or with using the enzyme preparation as a food processing aid.”

FSANZ welcomes comments from government agencies, public health professionals, industry and the community.

The closing date for submissions is 4 March 2016.

More information

Application A1109

How to make a submission

Notification circular

Media contact: 0401 714 265 (Australia) or +61 401 714 265 (from New Zealand)​ ​

The following is included here with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Please find below information on a recent Australian consumer level food recall. This information is also available on our website at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/foodrecalls/recalls/Pages/default.aspx

Additional Content

Page Content

Inghams Enterprises has recalled Inghams Quick Cook Chicken Meatballs 500g from Woolworths stores in NSW due to incorrect best before dates on the label. The product has already passed its true Best Before Date and thus is no longer suitable for consumption. Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ –13/01/2016  

Food type – Chicken Meatballs (Chilled)

Product name – Inghams Quick Cook Chicken Meatballs 500g

Package description and size – Plastic Tray 500g

Date marking –Best Before 19 Jan 2016, 20 Jan 2016, 22 Jan 2016 and 23 Jan 2016

Reason for recall –Incorrect best before dates on the label. The product has already passed its true Best Before Date and thus is no longer suitable for consumption.

Distribution –Woolworths stores  in NSW

Consumer advice –Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Contact Inghams Enterprises  1800 262 088  www.inghams.com.au

Coming on the back of the news that in New South Wales there has been an increase in Salmonella food poisoning, the Gold Coast has had a significant increase in food safety breaches by food businesses.

In the 2014 / 15 financial year the number of food safety breaches across the Gold Coast city increased from 98 to 127.

From the 2013 / 14 financial year to the 2014/15 year there were also 350 less routine inspections.

The big increase was the number of infringement notices, from 717 to 1204.

So there has been an increase in notices and breaches but yet a decrease in actual inspections.

So what is going on?

It would seem that the inspections are becoming tougher and resulting in more breaches being identified. In an area that has such an important tourism industry, maintaining food safety is vital to keep the reputation of the Coast intact.

As soon as people hear the word “breach’, they usually immediately think the worst. According to Glen Day, the President of Restaurant Industry Support Gold Coast some of the food businesses had breaches for minor issues like chipped tiles and missing skirting boards. These sort of issues don’t get fines immediately, only if not addressed as required.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is responsible for making changes to and maintaining the Food Standards Code. for Australia and New Zealand This Code contains the national food law and includes; food safety, composition and labelling, amongst other issues.

Changes to the Code are made through either Proposals by Ministers or FSANZ, or through Applications made by industry or individuals.

There is a strict process used for each method to ensure that all parties have an opportunity to have a say and that rigorous testing is done to ensure that food safety and legal issues are maintained.The process includes review and feedback steps.

FSANZ has just released an update to the guide for making applications. The following is the media release on this release and is included here with permission from FSANZ.

This alert is to advise you that amendments to Part 3 of the Handbook, which contains the mandatory information and format requirements for applications to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, were registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments on 5 January 2016.  The amendments take effect on 1 March 2016. All applications received by FSANZ on or after 1 March 2016 are required to comply with the requirements in this version (Amendment No.7 – 2016).

The instrument can be found on the ComLaw website at https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/F2007L02114/Amendments. An updated Part 3 compilation will be available on ComLaw in the next few days.

Submissions on the amendments and FSANZ’s responses to those comments are available on http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/changes/applying/Pages/consultationopportun3880.aspx.

Parts 1 and 2 of the Handbook are for information only and are not included in the legislative instrument relating to the changes to Part 3, or the compilation on ComLaw.

However, to assist stakeholders, FSANZ publishes an unofficial compilation of Parts 1, 2 and 3 as one document, which is now available on the FSANZ website at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/changes/pages/applicationshandbook.aspx

Based on the number of cases and deaths, the following are the top ten food poisoning outbreaks in the USA for 2015, interestingly six of them involved some type of Salmonella.

10. 52 sick from six E.coli outbreaks at the Chipotle chain of restaurants.

9. 65 sick from two Salmonella species in Sushi from raw tuna from Indonesia.

8. 70 sick from Salmonella in pork carnitas during the Mother’s Day weekend.

7. 86 sick (including dozens of children) from Staphylococcus aureus at two child care centres.

6. 192 sick (including 30 hospitalised) from two Salmonella species in pork in five states.

5. 194 sick from Shigella linked to the Mariscos San Juan restaurant

4. 280 sick (and one death) from a species of Salmonella at a BBQ restaurant in North Carolina

3. 290 sick from Salmonella in raw turkey, tomatoes and onion sold at a Co-op deli

2. 546 sick from Cyclospora across 31 states, found in Mexican grown Cilantro

1. 838 sick (including 165 hospitalisations and four deaths) from a Salmonella species in 38 states – suspected food was cucumbers

Australia did not have a really big food poisoning in the second half of 2015, but Brisbane sure had it’s fair share in the first couple of months of the year. More than 400 people were sick from Salmonella species in four outbreaks, including two at a Convention Centre and then there was the sushi made by KB Heaven Sushi (which is no longer operating).