Report: Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act Compliance

This report delves into the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991, outlining key practices prohibited by law, such as food handling without adequate skills and operating without notifying enforcement agencies. It details auditing and inspection regimes conducted by authorities like ANZFA and state health departments, and explains the consequences of non-compliance, including license suspension and prosecution. The report emphasizes the importance of business and occupational licensing, mandatory training, and record-keeping to identify hazards and ensure compliance. Statutory reporting requirements, including format and required details, are also discussed. This report is a comprehensive overview of the regulatory landscape for food businesses in Australia and New Zealand, providing essential information for compliance and operational best practices.

Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements 1
Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements
Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991
by [Name]
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution
Location of Institution
Date

Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements 2
Key practices that are prohibited by the law
The law prohibits persons without the knowledge of skills in food safety and food
hygiene from undertaking or supervising food handling operations. The law also prohibits a
food business from commencing any food operations before notifying the enforcement agency.
The law prohibits a food business from selling food that has already been served to another
person until it was wrapped and remains unwrapped. The law prohibits workers with suffering
from food – borne diseases from serving customers food. This is done to avoid spreading the
food – borne disease to the clients (HANDBOOK, 2009).
Auditing and inspection regimes
The auditing and inspections regimes that ensure that food businesses comply with the
laid out codes and standards include; The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA),
State and Territory Health Authorities and the Health Department Inspector, National Health and
Medical Research Council and the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia
and the New Zealand (ARMCANZ) inspects the water used by the food businesses. The state
government is involved in the auditing of the businesses’ financial records by allowing a third
party auditor to do the auditing (Authority A.N.Z.F, 2001).
Main consequences of non – compliance
Food businesses that fail to meet the set standards risk their license being canceled or
suspended. The food business also may be prosecuted in a court of law, property seizure.
Depending on the level of non – compliance the business one or multiple enforcement strategies
may be applied by the Food Authority (Authority A.N.Z.F, 2001).
Need to apply for and maintain business and occupational licensing and associated
mandatory training and certification requirements.

Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements 3
It is very important for food businesses to apply for the occupational licenses and
certification to ensure that the meet all the requirement to avoid the risk of the consequences
mentioned above as a result of non – compliance. It is necessary for a food business to train its
staff members so as to ensure that they are well acquitted with all the necessary conditions, for
example, the staff should be well informed of requirements such as hygiene to ensure that the
customers are satisfied with the services (HANDBOOK, 2009).
Requirements for record keeping and acceptable record keeping mechanisms
Food businesses are required by the law to keep records or their operations so as to
ensure that operations can be audited by the state government which allows third- party auditors
to audit the businesses. Record keeping enables the business to examine all its food handling
operations so as to identify the potential hazards. Records are kept in the form of receipts or files
and must be recorded in a systematic way (Healy et.al, 2003).
Statutory reporting requirements for businesses
The statutory reporting requirements for food business requires that the reporting should
be done in English. The reporting should be done in both soft, and hard copy, and the format
should be an executive summary (HANDBOOK, 2009). The business should include all the
necessary details such as; the organization’s name, address, telephone number, email address,
details of the report.

Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements 4
References
Healy, M., Brooke-Taylor, S. and Liehne, P., 2003. Reform of food regulation in Australia and
New Zealand. Food Control, 14(6), pp.357-365.
Gruber, J., Brooke-Taylor, S., Goodchap, J., & McCullum, D. (2003). Regulation of food
commodities in Australia and New Zealand. Food Control, 14(6), 367-373.
HANDBOOK, A., 2009. FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND.
Authority, A.N.Z.F., 2001. Safe food Australia: a guide to the Food Safety Standards. Australia
New Zealand Food Authority.

Research and Comply with Regulatory Requirements 5