NZ Food Safety Authority set to meet challenges
Food Safety Minister Annette King welcomes the arrival of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as a stand-alone government department.
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Food Safety Minister Annette King says New Zealand's position as an internationally admired leader in food safety is assured with the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) becoming a fully independent government department.
NZFSA became a stand-alone public service department on 1 July 2007.
Ms King, speaking at a function for NZFSA industry and consumer stakeholders in Wellington today, said: "When it was first set up back in 2002, NZFSA was a semi-autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). Its functions and powers were invested in the Director-General of MAF, and then comprehensively delegated to NZFSA. It was a compromise arrangement for a government agency, but at that time it was accepted that MAF was New Zealand's only credible brand in international trade.
"However, NZFSA has grown and evolved in the past five years. The NZFSA brand is well recognised and can now confidently take its place on the world stage as a highly reputable and credible agency among consumers of New Zealand food, producers, importers and exporters. It is clear that it no longer needs to be attached to MAF to maintain that credibility," she said.
"NZFSA will continue to protect and promote public health and safety in relation to food and food-related products, and to develop economic opportunities by facilitating access to international markets for these products."
Ms King says she is pleased Dr Andrew McKenzie has accepted the role of Acting Chief Executive of the new agency. "Under his leadership, NZFSA has become a vibrant agency with a high level of morale and purpose, respected both within New Zealand and internationally for its people and their ability to formulate and deliver cutting-edge strategy and policy. I am confident that the new, stand-alone NZFSA will continue to serve New Zealand's interests well into the future"
NZFSA fifth anniversary
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority celebrates its fifth birthday and achieves a new status as a stand-alone government department.
---------------------------------
This fifth anniversary of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority is even more special to me than your anniversaries usually are.
As the Minister who established the Authority in 2002, I am a little like Andrew McKenzie in terms of sharing proud parental responsibility for the organisation.
Thank you, Andrew, for inviting me here today to celebrate this birthday and, even more significantly, to re-launch NZFSA as a new stand-alone public service department.
I suppose you could say that NZFSA's new status also gives our joint parenting roles an enhanced status, and I want to say first up how pleased I am Andrew has decided to accept the role of Acting Chief Executive of the new agency. I'll have more to say on that shortly.
When it was first set up in 2002, NZFSA was a semi-autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. This meant that its functions and powers were invested in the Director-General of MAF, and then comprehensively delegated to NZFSA. It was a compromise arrangement, but at the time it was accepted that MAF was New Zealand's only credible brand in international trade.
I'm proud, as I am sure you are, that that's no longer the case. NZFSA has grown and evolved. Its brand is now well recognised and can confidently take its place on the world stage as a highly reputable and credible agency among consumers of New Zealand food, producers, importers and exporters. It no longer needs to be attached to MAF to maintain or enhance its credibility.
That's why it became inevitable -- and a credit to both NZFSA and MAF staff who have contributed to the success of the relationship --- that the Government would look at separating the two and creating a new Public Service Department administering Food Safety.
It was with great pleasure, therefore, that in May Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton and I were able to announce the formal separation, and NZFSA's new role as a stand-alone department from July 1 this year.
Separating the two will, I believe, allow NZFSA to build even more effective relationships, and allow it to develop as an agency with a clear focus on food safety issues for New Zealanders. During the separation process the State Services Commission, NZFSA and MAF worked together impressively, and I want to thank those involved for their significant and valuable contributions.
The new department's functions will reflect NZFSA's current services and outputs, and will also preserve existing responsibilities, services, outputs and intersecting networks of both MAF and NZFSA.
NZFSA will continue to 'protect and promote public health and safety', and to develop economic opportunities by facilitating access to international markets for our food and food-related products.
It will be operating under the most extensive shared services agreement seen across any New Zealand government department, with NZFSA sharing contract management, financial services, procurement, payroll and information management with MAF. These shared services will be managed by a committee comprising the chief executives of MAF and NZFSA, supported by their respective corporate service directors.
As I said, I was particularly pleased -- as I am sure you all are --- by Andrew's decision to accept the role as Acting Chief Executive.
NZFSA has become a vibrant agency under Andrew's leadership, with a high level of morale and purpose, respected both within New Zealand and internationally for its people and their ability to formulate and deliver cutting-edge strategy and policy. I am confident the new department will continue to serve us well with Andrew at the helm.
There is, of course, one slight --- and I emphasise slight --- drawback to Andrew's decision to stay on.
When he announced in December last year that he intended to step down from his role as executive director of NZFSA, dozens of accolades and tributes came in from all around the world.
I was looking forward to sharing these accolades and tributes with you at his farewell ceremony, but then, of course, he decided to stay on.
What a shame about all those accolades and tributes going to waste, I thought, but I've been thinking a bit more in the past few days, and I can see no reason why they cannot be shared publicly even though he's not leaving us. I am sure that the praise won't go to his head, unduly anyway. So here goes, with just a few of them:
Dr Gideon Bruckner, Scientific and Technical head at the World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris, said: "It will be a sad loss for all of us when you leave NZFSA and the international veterinary environment. I know -- and actually all of us know -- that most of the achievements of NZFSA are due to your direct inputs and drive."
Nigel Gibbens, of the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "You have set a world leading standard that is certainly clear from here."
And William James, of the US Department of Agriculture, wrote: "This is more than an end to an era -- it's epochal, no doubt to be recorded along with the death of Alexander. Unlike the dissolution of Alexander's empire among his generals, however, you leave a legacy in NZFSA that will continue its pulsating progress for years to come."
So welcome back, Alexander, sorry Andrew the Great. We will not lose your ability to create pulsating progress for some time yet, and all of us will be the richer for that.
It's a tradition at these birthday functions to look back at achievements and highlights of the year.
Number one was government agreement in October to a package of recommendations in the Domestic Food Review to streamline and update our decades-old food regulatory programme. This will ensure our vital food sector is ready to deal with significant growth expected over the next 20 years. The new Act will modernise and streamline our food laws and help stem the rise in foodborne illnesses.
NZFSA has been busy drafting the new legislation, which will clarify the roles and responsibilities of regulators such as public health units and local authorities, and which will see food regulation move from an inspection-based to a risk-based system, placing responsibility for food safety on the person in charge of the food operation.
Under the new Food Bill NZFSA will still produce standards and codes of practice and define required outcomes, and independent verifiers will audit compliance. The transition from the old regulation to the new is likely to take five years, and to be complete in 2013.
As well, the Imported Foods Review brings in a new programme for importing food that manages food safety issues at the appropriate point in the food chain to ensure controls are effective, efficient and based on sound science. The redesign has received positive stakeholder reaction, and will also come into effect in July 2008.
Work on the Wild Foods Review has continued, evaluating the amount and varying types of wild food found in New Zealand to assess the potential risks to public health. Our goal is to provide information about those risks, so that fishers, hunters and gatherers can make safe decisions about the wild foods they eat.
Another highlight was our annual conference, held in November. It was excellent that Prime Minister Helen Clark could open the conference which, like previous conferences, attracted international speakers from food regulatory authorities around the world, most notably, the UK Food Standards Agency, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the New South Wales Food Authority and FSANZ.
A highlight for me personally was my visit in December to China where I was able to see first hand the work that goes into developing the strong bilateral trading relationships NZFSA enjoys with our key trading partners.
I spent a week there with Tony Zohrab and Neil McLeod, who were there for the free trade agreement Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary chapter talks. I received much positive feedback on NZFSA's good work, and, as you know, maintaining, shaping and building a good rapport with trading partners is a crucial and successful aspect of NZFSA's market access strategy.
Our fifth year also saw much trans-Tasman work to cement and fortify deeper understanding among our two nations, if not in sporting matters, then at least in the area of joint food safety legislation.
I have in mind the development of the trans-Tasman joint food standards, especially the work that's been done on mandatory fortification with folic acid, and the harmonisation project with our Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines counterpart, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
I believe we have kudos to burn thanks to the work we have done on the trans-Tasman Imports Alignment. Our redesigned system, paving the way to remove high-risk foods from the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement exemption list, is major progress.
We also recently entered a MoU with the New South Wales Food Authority, providing more formal recognition of the relationship between our two agencies. It is an important step in improving cooperation on a broad range of food safety and regulatory matters.
This year also saw the release of our Risk Management Strategy for Campylobacter in Poultry to positive reviews in the media.
This mystifying and complex bacterium has been baffling our own and other regulatory authorities around the world for many years, but I believe the knowledge we have gained in talks and discussions with leading experts in the field will stand us in good stead as we work toward implementing cutting edge risk-management decisions to see our high rates of campylobacteriosis considerably curtailed.
On the communications front there has been a raft of publications, including Food Safety when you have Low Immunity and Eating Safely when you have Food Allergies. I'm confident they will become every bit as popular as our Food Safety in Pregnancy booklet, which would always be on best-seller lists if we were to sell it.
Our fifth birthday this year is also the third anniversary of our union with the former MAF Verification Agency. The formation of NZFSA VA has been an extremely successful move which has made interaction with industry sector groups far more straightforward and management of problem solving much easier.
So our fifth year has certainly been busy, and one in which our formative work is really coming to fruition. NZFSA continues to go ahead in creating a sound regulatory system for the future, in building lasting relationships with our trading partners, and in adding to the already strong interface we have with consumers and stakeholders.
As NZFSA moves into the new era, it has carefully maintained all its parts that are working well, such as strong links with industry. In fact, these important relationships have been enhanced.
There is no doubt that NZFSA's future looks decidedly bright. Happy birthday, and congratulations to all of you.
---------------------------------
Food Safety Minister Annette King says New Zealand's position as an internationally admired leader in food safety is assured with the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) becoming a fully independent government department.
NZFSA became a stand-alone public service department on 1 July 2007.
Ms King, speaking at a function for NZFSA industry and consumer stakeholders in Wellington today, said: "When it was first set up back in 2002, NZFSA was a semi-autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). Its functions and powers were invested in the Director-General of MAF, and then comprehensively delegated to NZFSA. It was a compromise arrangement for a government agency, but at that time it was accepted that MAF was New Zealand's only credible brand in international trade.
"However, NZFSA has grown and evolved in the past five years. The NZFSA brand is well recognised and can now confidently take its place on the world stage as a highly reputable and credible agency among consumers of New Zealand food, producers, importers and exporters. It is clear that it no longer needs to be attached to MAF to maintain that credibility," she said.
"NZFSA will continue to protect and promote public health and safety in relation to food and food-related products, and to develop economic opportunities by facilitating access to international markets for these products."
Ms King says she is pleased Dr Andrew McKenzie has accepted the role of Acting Chief Executive of the new agency. "Under his leadership, NZFSA has become a vibrant agency with a high level of morale and purpose, respected both within New Zealand and internationally for its people and their ability to formulate and deliver cutting-edge strategy and policy. I am confident that the new, stand-alone NZFSA will continue to serve New Zealand's interests well into the future"
NZFSA fifth anniversary
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority celebrates its fifth birthday and achieves a new status as a stand-alone government department.
---------------------------------
This fifth anniversary of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority is even more special to me than your anniversaries usually are.
As the Minister who established the Authority in 2002, I am a little like Andrew McKenzie in terms of sharing proud parental responsibility for the organisation.
Thank you, Andrew, for inviting me here today to celebrate this birthday and, even more significantly, to re-launch NZFSA as a new stand-alone public service department.
I suppose you could say that NZFSA's new status also gives our joint parenting roles an enhanced status, and I want to say first up how pleased I am Andrew has decided to accept the role of Acting Chief Executive of the new agency. I'll have more to say on that shortly.
When it was first set up in 2002, NZFSA was a semi-autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. This meant that its functions and powers were invested in the Director-General of MAF, and then comprehensively delegated to NZFSA. It was a compromise arrangement, but at the time it was accepted that MAF was New Zealand's only credible brand in international trade.
I'm proud, as I am sure you are, that that's no longer the case. NZFSA has grown and evolved. Its brand is now well recognised and can confidently take its place on the world stage as a highly reputable and credible agency among consumers of New Zealand food, producers, importers and exporters. It no longer needs to be attached to MAF to maintain or enhance its credibility.
That's why it became inevitable -- and a credit to both NZFSA and MAF staff who have contributed to the success of the relationship --- that the Government would look at separating the two and creating a new Public Service Department administering Food Safety.
It was with great pleasure, therefore, that in May Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton and I were able to announce the formal separation, and NZFSA's new role as a stand-alone department from July 1 this year.
Separating the two will, I believe, allow NZFSA to build even more effective relationships, and allow it to develop as an agency with a clear focus on food safety issues for New Zealanders. During the separation process the State Services Commission, NZFSA and MAF worked together impressively, and I want to thank those involved for their significant and valuable contributions.
The new department's functions will reflect NZFSA's current services and outputs, and will also preserve existing responsibilities, services, outputs and intersecting networks of both MAF and NZFSA.
NZFSA will continue to 'protect and promote public health and safety', and to develop economic opportunities by facilitating access to international markets for our food and food-related products.
It will be operating under the most extensive shared services agreement seen across any New Zealand government department, with NZFSA sharing contract management, financial services, procurement, payroll and information management with MAF. These shared services will be managed by a committee comprising the chief executives of MAF and NZFSA, supported by their respective corporate service directors.
As I said, I was particularly pleased -- as I am sure you all are --- by Andrew's decision to accept the role as Acting Chief Executive.
NZFSA has become a vibrant agency under Andrew's leadership, with a high level of morale and purpose, respected both within New Zealand and internationally for its people and their ability to formulate and deliver cutting-edge strategy and policy. I am confident the new department will continue to serve us well with Andrew at the helm.
There is, of course, one slight --- and I emphasise slight --- drawback to Andrew's decision to stay on.
When he announced in December last year that he intended to step down from his role as executive director of NZFSA, dozens of accolades and tributes came in from all around the world.
I was looking forward to sharing these accolades and tributes with you at his farewell ceremony, but then, of course, he decided to stay on.
What a shame about all those accolades and tributes going to waste, I thought, but I've been thinking a bit more in the past few days, and I can see no reason why they cannot be shared publicly even though he's not leaving us. I am sure that the praise won't go to his head, unduly anyway. So here goes, with just a few of them:
Dr Gideon Bruckner, Scientific and Technical head at the World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris, said: "It will be a sad loss for all of us when you leave NZFSA and the international veterinary environment. I know -- and actually all of us know -- that most of the achievements of NZFSA are due to your direct inputs and drive."
Nigel Gibbens, of the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "You have set a world leading standard that is certainly clear from here."
And William James, of the US Department of Agriculture, wrote: "This is more than an end to an era -- it's epochal, no doubt to be recorded along with the death of Alexander. Unlike the dissolution of Alexander's empire among his generals, however, you leave a legacy in NZFSA that will continue its pulsating progress for years to come."
So welcome back, Alexander, sorry Andrew the Great. We will not lose your ability to create pulsating progress for some time yet, and all of us will be the richer for that.
It's a tradition at these birthday functions to look back at achievements and highlights of the year.
Number one was government agreement in October to a package of recommendations in the Domestic Food Review to streamline and update our decades-old food regulatory programme. This will ensure our vital food sector is ready to deal with significant growth expected over the next 20 years. The new Act will modernise and streamline our food laws and help stem the rise in foodborne illnesses.
NZFSA has been busy drafting the new legislation, which will clarify the roles and responsibilities of regulators such as public health units and local authorities, and which will see food regulation move from an inspection-based to a risk-based system, placing responsibility for food safety on the person in charge of the food operation.
Under the new Food Bill NZFSA will still produce standards and codes of practice and define required outcomes, and independent verifiers will audit compliance. The transition from the old regulation to the new is likely to take five years, and to be complete in 2013.
As well, the Imported Foods Review brings in a new programme for importing food that manages food safety issues at the appropriate point in the food chain to ensure controls are effective, efficient and based on sound science. The redesign has received positive stakeholder reaction, and will also come into effect in July 2008.
Work on the Wild Foods Review has continued, evaluating the amount and varying types of wild food found in New Zealand to assess the potential risks to public health. Our goal is to provide information about those risks, so that fishers, hunters and gatherers can make safe decisions about the wild foods they eat.
Another highlight was our annual conference, held in November. It was excellent that Prime Minister Helen Clark could open the conference which, like previous conferences, attracted international speakers from food regulatory authorities around the world, most notably, the UK Food Standards Agency, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the New South Wales Food Authority and FSANZ.
A highlight for me personally was my visit in December to China where I was able to see first hand the work that goes into developing the strong bilateral trading relationships NZFSA enjoys with our key trading partners.
I spent a week there with Tony Zohrab and Neil McLeod, who were there for the free trade agreement Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary chapter talks. I received much positive feedback on NZFSA's good work, and, as you know, maintaining, shaping and building a good rapport with trading partners is a crucial and successful aspect of NZFSA's market access strategy.
Our fifth year also saw much trans-Tasman work to cement and fortify deeper understanding among our two nations, if not in sporting matters, then at least in the area of joint food safety legislation.
I have in mind the development of the trans-Tasman joint food standards, especially the work that's been done on mandatory fortification with folic acid, and the harmonisation project with our Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines counterpart, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
I believe we have kudos to burn thanks to the work we have done on the trans-Tasman Imports Alignment. Our redesigned system, paving the way to remove high-risk foods from the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement exemption list, is major progress.
We also recently entered a MoU with the New South Wales Food Authority, providing more formal recognition of the relationship between our two agencies. It is an important step in improving cooperation on a broad range of food safety and regulatory matters.
This year also saw the release of our Risk Management Strategy for Campylobacter in Poultry to positive reviews in the media.
This mystifying and complex bacterium has been baffling our own and other regulatory authorities around the world for many years, but I believe the knowledge we have gained in talks and discussions with leading experts in the field will stand us in good stead as we work toward implementing cutting edge risk-management decisions to see our high rates of campylobacteriosis considerably curtailed.
On the communications front there has been a raft of publications, including Food Safety when you have Low Immunity and Eating Safely when you have Food Allergies. I'm confident they will become every bit as popular as our Food Safety in Pregnancy booklet, which would always be on best-seller lists if we were to sell it.
Our fifth birthday this year is also the third anniversary of our union with the former MAF Verification Agency. The formation of NZFSA VA has been an extremely successful move which has made interaction with industry sector groups far more straightforward and management of problem solving much easier.
So our fifth year has certainly been busy, and one in which our formative work is really coming to fruition. NZFSA continues to go ahead in creating a sound regulatory system for the future, in building lasting relationships with our trading partners, and in adding to the already strong interface we have with consumers and stakeholders.
As NZFSA moves into the new era, it has carefully maintained all its parts that are working well, such as strong links with industry. In fact, these important relationships have been enhanced.
There is no doubt that NZFSA's future looks decidedly bright. Happy birthday, and congratulations to all of you.