This Notification Circular includes notices that are required to be given to the public, submitters and appropriate government agencies, under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (FSANZ Act).

For information about progress on all current applications and proposals, including anticipated consultation opportunities, see the FSANZ Food Standards Development Work Plan.

Call for submissions
General procedure

FSANZ invites written submissions on the draft variations to the Code arising from the following Applications by 6pm (Canberra time) 30 September 2016:
A1128 – Food derived from reduced Acrylamide Potential & Browning Potato Line E12: to seek approval for food derived from a genetically modified potato line, E12 which has reduced acrylamide potential and reduced browning (black spot).

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Other matters
Release of FSANZ BSE food safety risk assessment report for Sweden
FSANZ has completed a BSE food safety assessment for Sweden and the report is now available on the FSANZ website. The Australian government’s BSE food safety policy requires that all countries exporting or seeking to export beef to Australia have a risk assessment undertaken by FSANZ.

FSANZ’s food safety risk assessment examined the effectiveness of BSE-related controls throughout the beef production chain in Sweden. Animal feeding practices, transportation, animal identification and traceability, slaughtering, and food safety and food recall systems were examined. The assessment comprised both desk assessment and in-country verification phases.
Reconfirmation of BSE risk status previously assigned to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands, the United States of America and Vanuatu
FSANZ has reviewed the BSE annual update information received from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands, the United States of America and Vanuatu. FSANZ concluded that effective controls for BSE remain in place in these countries, and the food safety risk posed by beef products produced in these countries is negligible. FSANZ reconfirmed the BSE food safety status previously assigned to these countries.

Management of imported food safety risks
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (Agriculture) is working with the Department of Health to improve how imported food safety risks are managed without imposing undue costs on importers and consumers, as well as our trading partners. The proposed reform options seek to address the limitations of the current system by providing more flexible and targeted ways to prevent and respond to food safety risks to better protect the health of consumers.

To assess the proposed options, Agriculture will be releasing the Imported Food Reforms – Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) for public comment for a period of 30 working days. It is anticipated that the consultation RIS will be available for public comment in the coming week.

Feedback on the consultation RIS will help Agriculture better understand and measure the implications of the proposed reform options on affected stakeholders and interested parties. Feedback will be used to input into the final assessment of options and decision making process for further government consideration.

By providing feedback to the consultation RIS, you are helping to ensure the reform options considered are practical and viable.
The consultation RIS and further information will be available on http://www.agriculture.gov.au/.
Amendment to Schedule 20 - Maximum residue limits (MRLs) [Australia only]
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has notified FSANZ of applications or variations to the APVMA MRL Standard that the APVMA considers will likely result in variations to Schedule 20 if they are granted.

More information on these notifications is available from our maximum residue limits page.

Calls for public comment - Proposed variations to Schedule 20

The APVMA has called for public comment on a number of proposed variations to Schedule 20.

Information can be found on the APVMA website.

Gazettal of amendments to Schedule 20

The APVMA has registered amendments to Schedule 20 on the Federal Register of Legislation. For further information go to the Register.

Information Publication Scheme - Important information for applicants and submitters

Under the Information Publication Scheme all applications to change the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, as well as submissions on applications and proposals, will be published on our website.

We will not publish any material provided in-confidence. Applications will be published when we publicly notify FSANZ's decision after an Administrative Assessment has been completed and the application has been accepted. Submissions will be published as soon as possible after the end of the public comment period. Where large numbers of documents are involved, FSANZ will make these available on CD, rather than on the website.

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/changes/circulars/Pages/NotificationCircular21-16.aspx