Update – 23 December 2015
The Ministry for Primary Industries has released its responses to the submissions received on the draft proposal.
Consultation background
The primary focus of the 2016 New Zealand Total Diet Study (NZTDS) is to assess population dietary exposure to certain chemicals such as agricultural compounds, contaminants and nutrients from a range of typical foods consumed in the New Zealand diet.
Samples are purchased over a calendar year from several regions, and prepared ‘as consumed’ (like peeled bananas, or cooked meat) for analysis. Analytical data on levels of certain agricultural compounds, contaminants and nutrients are combined with food consumption information, in the form of simulated diets, to generate dietary exposure estimates. The level of exposure to these chemicals is compared with national and international health-based guidance values, such as the Acceptable Daily Intake. This information is used to identify the potential for adverse health effects associated with certain foods in the diet across different population groups. By its very nature, the NZTDS is relatively large and complex, and because of this, it's carried out only periodically.
The consultation paper presents a draft plan for the 2016 NZTDS, including discussion on the objectives of the study, the priority chemicals to be surveyed, key foods to be sampled, the simulated diet approach, and proposed timeframes.
MPI sought feedback on whether:
- the list of chemicals proposed for analysis is sufficient
- changes should be made to the key foods list
- there are any population groups that are missing
- there is any new data on New Zealand infants, children and adolescents to help inform the simulated diets.
In terms of the broad approach, MPI has retained many key features of the 2009 NZTDS, mainly to ensure that dietary exposure trends can be monitored over time.
Consultation documents
2016 NZTDS consultation paper [PDF, 213 KB]
Submission template
A template for making submissions is in Appendix 1 of the consultation paper.
Related information
How to make a submission
Complete the 2016 NZTDS consultation paper response template. The template is in Appendix 1 of the consultation paper.
Your completed submission can be:
- emailed to tds.2016@mpi.govt.nz
- posted to – 2016 New Zealand Total Diet Study Consultation, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2526, Wellington 6140
Submissions close at 5pm, Monday 12 October 2015. Late submissions will not be considered unless prior approval has been sought.
Information to include in your submission
If not using the template provided in Appendix 1 of the consultation paper, make sure you include the following in your submission:
- the title of this consultation (2016 NZTDS Consultation Paper)
- your name and contact details (phone number, address and email)
- your organisation's name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation).
Submissions are public information
Any submission you make becomes public information. Anyone can ask for copies of all submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the information available, unless we have a good reason for withholding it. You can find those grounds in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA. Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include, it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may require the information be released.
