There are a number of tiers of food control in Australia. Firstly, there is Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). FSANZ is a a bi-national Government agency who’s main responsibility is to develop and administer the Food Standards Code.

The Food Standards Code lists the requirements for foods such as

• food additives

• food safety

• labelling

• GM foods

Each State/Territory then has the responsibility of enforcing and interpreting the Food Standards Code.

In New South Wales, the NSW Food Authority provides the regulation framework for industry to produce safe and correctly labelled food by:

• contributing to national food policies and standards

• establishing NSW regulations and food safety programs

• developing food laws in consultation with stakeholders

• auditing, inspecting and enforcing food regulations

• education of consumers and providing support to food related businesses

There is an equivalent body in each State and Territory in Australia.

FSANZ has a summary of how the each of the States & Territories are enforcing the Food Safety Standards – namely the Standards in Chapter 3, which are most relevant to Food Service businesses, as follows:

• Standard 3.2.1 Food Safety Programs

• Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements

• Standard 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment

The links below provide information on food regulators for each State and Territory in Australia.

• New South Wales (NSW)

• Victoria (VIC)

• South Australia (SA)

• Queensland (QLD)

• Western Australia (WA)

• Northern Territory (NT)

• Tasmania (TAS)

• Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Other State Government bodies and organisations that administer and regulate food related requirements include:

• Department of Health and Ageing

• Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency

• NSW Department of Health

• Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)

• NSW Office of Fair Trading

• NSW Department of Local Government