Commonwealth act

Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991

In ForceCTH

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

118 of 1991

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

8/10 complexity

What This Law Does

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 creates and governs Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) — a joint Australian-New Zealand government body responsible for setting the rules about what goes into your food, how it's labelled, and how it's handled.

Who It Affects

Everyone — from the food on your supermarket shelf to what restaurants serve you. More specifically:

Consumers: You benefit from safety standards, accurate labelling (so you know what you're eating), and rules preventing misleading food claims
Food businesses: Manufacturers, processors, importers, and retailers must comply with food standards set under this Act
Government agencies: Commonwealth, State, Territory, and New Zealand governments are all involved in overseeing and enforcing food standards
Food industry applicants: Businesses can apply to FSANZ to create or change food standards (e.g., to introduce a new food additive or make a health claim on packaging)

What FSANZ Actually Does

FSANZ is the expert body that:

Develops and updates food standards covering things like maximum pesticide residues in food, permitted additives, microbiological safety, labelling rules, and health claims

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991.

172

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.