Slow progress on official “health claims” food standard for Australia and New Zealand, but decisions on the way

  • October 11, 2011
  • Amanda Cavanough

Despite some 10 years in the making, Australia and New Zealand still cannot expect the official food standard for permitted health claims in relation to food until at least 2012.

Speaking at the FoodLegal Symposium “Healthy Bodies of Law” in Sydney yesterday, Dean Stockwell the General Manager of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Chair of its Standards Development Advisory Committee, admitted the existing prohibitions on health claims were “confusing” and “ambiguous” especially with regard to nutrient function and functional food property claims.

He said that FSANZ was required to take its latest proposed redraft of the new Health Claims Standard 1.2.7 (Proposal P293) to the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council in December 2011 following a prior review by the FSANZ Standards Development Committee and the FSANZ Board.

Providing all goes to plan, industry could be hopeful for the new standard for health claims to be approved by the Ministerial Council in early 2012. In reply to a question, Mr Stockwell added that no further public consultation process was to be expected.

He said the health claims standard review will have taken note of the Blewett Panel’s Report “Labeling Logic” released in January 2011, which highlighted widespread issues with food labelling including misleading health claims.


Tags:

Bookmarks

  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Furl
  • Netvouz
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • Fark
  • Propeller
  • Slashdot
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Reader Comments

Australian Food News reserves the right to edit or not publish comments of a potentially offensive or defamatory nature. Comments will not be published if name and email address has not been provided (name and email will be withheld if requested).

The opinions expressed below are those of Australian Food News readers and do not necessarily reflect those of Australian Food News.