New Zealand’s Food Safety Minister, Nikki Kaye, today confirmed that an independent Food Safety Assurance Advisory Council is now set up to advise the New Zealand Government on food safety issues.
The establishment of the council is a direct result of a Government inquiry into Fonterra’s whey protein contamination crisis in 2013 - the biggest food safety scare to ever hit New Zealand. The first meeting for the council will be in July this year.
The results from the inquiry were released in December last year and were verified by international expert Professor Alan Reilly who heads up the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. The recommendations from the inquiry report will be implemented throughout 2014/2015 with the Food Safety council now set up and ready to commence operations.
The Food Safety Assurance Advisory Council will have six members who will be responsible for reviewing New Zealand’s food safety and assurance system and providing advice and risk analysis to the food industry.
These members will be skilled in:
The establishment of the council is a direct result of a Government inquiry into Fonterra’s whey protein contamination crisis in 2013.
The crisis involved more than 38 tonnes of whey protein being withdrawn in more than seven countries after dairy products, including infant formula, was suspected of being contaminated with a botulism-causing bacterium.
Further testing showed that this was a false alarm and that the whey protein was actually harmless.
Apart from the Food Safety Assurance Advisory Council, the Inquiry report recommended 28 other actions be taken. The key recommendations included: