A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
Givaudan
An additional requirement that imports of bulk tallow and bone-derived gelatine from cattle must also be guaranteed BSE-free is just one of a number of proposed changes to the Food Standards Code proposed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
The new code will come into force on 20 December, replacing the existing Australian and New Zealand food standards and labelling regulations. Four of the proposed changes are technical, but the other two refer to Listeria and BSE and have a direct bearing on food safety. FSANZ is calling for public consultation on all the proposed changes.
FSANZ's acting managing director Peter Liehne said consultation was a vital part of the food regulatory process and FSANZ invited comment on each matter.
"Because of our conservative and cautionary approach to food regulation, FSANZ took emergency action in 2001 to prevent beef and beef products from Europe entering the Australian food supply when the first reports of the spread of BSE from the UK were confirmed," Liehne said.
"Since then, we have undertaken a comprehensive risk assessment of BSE and human health and are now in a position to propose refinements to the measures put in place at that time."
Since January 2001, all bovine meat and bovine-derived food ingredients in the Australian food supply must be derived from animals free from BSE, but the current regulations do not include milk and dairy products, gelatine, fats and tallow, collagen from bovine skins and hides, and non-beef flavourings.
But a comprehensive risk assessment carried out since the change to the law last year has shown that both tallow and gelatine could pose a risk to human health if derived from BSE-infected cattle, and that is why the agency is proposing the change to the law.
Liehne explained that the Food Standards Code also specifies microbiological limits for Listeria monocytogenes in some foods, including cooked crustacea and ready-to-eat finfish, such as smoked salmon. A review of the appropriateness of these criteria in protecting public health by FSANZ has shown that the current limits for Listeria are justifiable and should be retained, but that the standards for cooked crustacea could not be justified on public health grounds.