New Zealand Food Safety Strategy
The New Zealand Food Safety Strategy outlines how we will maintain a food safety system that can be trusted by everyone, everywhere. Find out how the strategy will effectively manage risks while delivering for consumers and food businesses.
Our food safety vision
New Zealand food: Trusted and recognised by everyone, everywhere.
Whakatauki (proverb)
Ko tāu rourou, ko tāku rourou, ka ora ait e iwi.
By sharing your food basket with my food basket the people will thrive.
Our food safety priorities
We will ensure New Zealand's world class food safety system remains robust.
We will proactively support consumers to make informed food choices.
We will actively contribute to new thinking in international forums.
We will work in genuine partnership with Māori.
We will be innovating and forward-looking in meeting new challenges.
New Zealand Food Safety outcomes diagram
Download a PDF version of this diagram [PDF, 1.3 MB]
Show/hide the description of this diagram:
The diagram is a semicircle with the heading "outcomes we are working towards" in its centre. Surrounding this is the "zone of control" which contains "food system regulator outcomes". Next is the "zone of influence" containing "broader outcomes". The outer layer is the "zone of interest" which contains "society outcomes". Each of the 3 zones in the diagram contains a list of outcomes New Zealand Food Safety wants to achieve.
The innermost "zone of control" contains 4 "food system regulator outcomes". These are what New Zealand Food Safety can control. The outcomes are:
- food is safe and suitable and consumers make informed choices
- food standards are evidence and risk based
- food businesses thrive and innovate without undue cost and regulatory burden and have a strong food safety culture
- overseas governments have a high level of trust and confidence in our export assurances.
The middle zone is entitled "zone of influence" and contains 8 "broader outcomes". These are what New Zealand Food Safety can influence. The outcomes are:
- sustainable primary production
- animal welfare
- preventing crime
- promoting health
- consumer protection
- supporting growth
- supporting trade
- supporting better outcomes for Māori.
The outer layer is entitled "zone of interest" and contains 4 "society outcomes". These are what New Zealand Food Safety is interested in but can't readily control. The outcomes are:
- environmental resource sustainability
- health and wellbeing
- regional prosperity
- primary industry growth.
[End of diagram description]
What did people say about the strategy?
In September 2019, we asked for the public's input on our draft strategy. We held public meetings and hui and invited submissions. A total of 307 unique submissions were received.
Consumers showed a strong interest, contributing 62% of the responses. Another 18% of submissions were received from businesses, 11% from organisations and other groups, and 9% from internal staff.
There was significant support for our proposed priorities. The submissions broadly agreed that the drivers of change identified in the draft strategy are the key problems or opportunities impacting the food system.
Food safety action plan
The action plan supporting this strategy will enable New Zealand Food Safety/Haumaru Kai Aotearoa to help ensure food imported, produced domestically, or exported from New Zealand is trusted and recognised – by everyone, everywhere. We will actively monitor and review progress year-by-year.
Our strategy documents
New Zealand Food Safety Strategy [PDF, 8.5 MB]
New Zealand Food Safety Action Plan [PDF, 1.3 MB]