The views and considerations of hundreds of people are currently under review as the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) analyses the public submissions received during the final consultation stage of the Domestic Food Review (DFR).

As part of the review, which will streamline and update the country's decades-old food laws, NZFSA has held 15 workshops in 11 towns and cities across the country, distributed more than 30,000 brochures, thousands of summary and discussion papers and talked with more than 700 people.

Submissions have now closed on the final round of consultation on NZFSA's Position Paper, which covered all of the areas that NZFSA has been consulting on during the past 18 months, and included ideas and feedback received throughout that time.

The Position Paper also included extra detail on sanctions for non-compliance and examples of what small businesses might need to do, together with a review of how food safety education for fundraising-type events could be developed.

More than 150 submissions were received on the final paper. They will now be carefully analysed before NZFSA puts its proposals to the Government later this year.

"The Position Paper was NZFSA's way of ensuring that we captured exactly how much and where New Zealanders want government intervention in the production and sale of domestic food. It means we can develop proposals for legislation that will facilitate the delivery of a level of food safety that the public wants," says NZFSA's Executive Director Dr Andrew McKenzie.

"We are committed to working both with consumers and the New Zealand food sector to ensure that what we propose to Government is the best solution for New Zealand, both for the present and for what our innovative food sector wants to achieve in the decades to come.

"We value the input of all those who have made a submission to help us design a system that is practical, consistent and delivers and promotes safe and suitable food."

Details of submissions will be available in July, when final recommendations will be put to Government. Drafting of any changes to legislation to reflect Government decisions is expected to begin later in the year.

ENDS

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