A new era for food safety regulation in Australia

Australia has worked towards uniform food legislation since 1908. The development of an effective national food safety regulatory system for Australia was driven by a number of imperatives including: to reduce inconsistencies and inefficiencies with State and Territory legislation; to reduce the cost of food regulation on the food industry; an increase in foodborne illness; a concern that existing requirements were ineffective in reducing the growing burden of foodborne illness; and international developments linking food safety with trade. However, it was not until the end of 2000 that States and Territories formally agreed to a national food safety regulatory system. The recently introduced national food safety regulatory system consists of: nationally consistent Food Acts; mandatory standards for food safety practices and food premises and equipment; a ‘model’ standard for ‘food safety programs’ and supporting infrastructure projects to assist with its implementation. The primary objective of this new system is to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness in Australia by requiring food businesses to take responsibility for the safety of the food they handle and sell by moving towards a preventative approach to managing the food safety risks within their business. The States and Territories are now implementing this system and will be formally evaluating whether it is effective in improving the safety of food within Australia.