Review Panel recommendations The Review Panel considers that the Regulations are still required and could be improved by making minor amendments to the following policies for administration and operation of the IFIS. More certification options Permit a recognised quality assurance certificate as an alternative to the current mandatory foreign government certification requirement for some risk-classified foods. This new policy would provide flexibility for industry which would be able to use a quality assurance certificate if there was no recognised foreign government certificate arrangement to demonstrate the safety of its food. More effective inspection of prohibited plants and fungi Make any amount of a prohibited plant or fungus subject to the Act because they have potential to affect human health if consumed. This would not prevent importers from putting their case to the department that the food was intended for private consumption and therefore exempt from the Act. Improved scrutiny of risk-classified food Reduce the imported amount of risk-classified food that is considered to be for private consumption from 10 kilograms to one kilogram in any one consignment. Changing patterns of commercial imports indicate that high-value, low-volume imports of risk- classified foods are occurring for commercial purposes. Amounts once considered for private consumption are now being used for commercial trade. Modernising the inspection and analysis of foods Amend the Regulations to address each of the following issues: some rules have never been applied and on review are considered unnecessary other rules do not provide for a hazard to be initially analysed at a reduced rate for a risk classified food the rules which govern how inspection rates are reduced for risk classified foods are no longer consistent with the current Australian Standard 1199-1988 (Sampling procedures and tables for inspection by attributes) and other relevant international standards the need for more transparency in how the department determines what analyses it will apply to surveillance foods. Flexibility in the inspection of surveillance food Provide greater flexibility with the way that the department allocates the five per cent inspection ‘envelope’ across all surveillance-classified foods. With this flexibility, the department could target infrequent and new food importers for inspection, or conduct other short-term targeted inspection activity in response to information gaps or community concerns. The department could then reduce
Review Panel recommendations The Review Panel considers that the Regulations are still required and could be improved by making minor amendments to the following policies for administration and operation of the IFIS. More certification options Permit a recognised quality assurance certificate as an alternative to the current mandatory foreign government certification requirement for some risk-classified foods. This new policy would provide flexibility for industry which would be able to use a quality assurance certificate if there was no recognised foreign government certificate arrangement to demonstrate the safety of its food. More effective inspection of prohibited plants and fungi Make any amount of a prohibited plant or fungus subject to the Act because they have potential to affect human health if consumed. This would not prevent importers from putting their case to the department that the food was intended for private consumption and therefore exempt from the Act. Improved scrutiny of risk-classified food Reduce the imported amount of risk-classified food that is considered to be for private consumption from 10 kilograms to one kilogram in any one consignment. Changing patterns of commercial imports indicate that high-value, low-volume imports of risk- classified foods are occurring for commercial purposes. Amounts once considered for private consumption are now being used for commercial trade. Modernising the inspection and analysis of foods Amend the Regulations to address each of the following issues: some rules have never been applied and on review are considered unnecessary other rules do not provide for a hazard to be initially analysed at a reduced rate for a risk classified food the rules which govern how inspection rates are reduced for risk classified foods are no longer consistent with the current Australian Standard 1199-1988 (Sampling procedures and tables for inspection by attributes) and other relevant international standards the need for more transparency in how the department determines what analyses it will apply to surveillance foods. Flexibility in the inspection of surveillance food Provide greater flexibility with the way that the department allocates the five per cent inspection ‘envelope’ across all surveillance-classified foods. With this flexibility, the department could target infrequent and new food importers for inspection, or conduct other short-term targeted inspection activity in response to information gaps or community concerns. The department could then reduce
final-report-review-imported-food-control-regulations.docx