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Amendment to the NZ Good Agricultural Practice Section 40 Food Control Plan

Have your say

Horticulture New Zealand Limited (HortNZ) has requested an amendment to their Approved New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice (NZGAP) template Food Control Plan (FCP) under section 45 of the Food Act 2014. The NZGAP FCP is based on the recognition of NZGAP as an equivalent scheme for meeting Food Act 2014 requirements for producers and packers of horticultural produce in New Zealand.

The NZGAP scope of operations falls under the risk-based measure for growing, harvesting, minimal processing, and packing of horticultural produce (National Programme 1). This includes processes (such as rinsing, trimming, and shelling), and post-harvest treatments (such as waxing, packing, incidental storing, and transport).

The proposed amendment will permit any business that is certified and/or authorised by HortNZ to increase their scope of operation by allowing them to include storage, transport and distribution (wholesale) activities to their existing plan.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has evaluated the NZGAP FCP to ensure it meets the requirements of the Food Act 2014.

We want your feedback. Do you see any problems with approving the amendment to the NZGAP FCP?

The consultation will run from 8 December until 5pm on 23 December 2020.

Consultation documents

The NZGAP FCP is available only to HortNZ members. However, you can download MPI's evaluation of the NZGAP FCP amendment and the draft notice.

Evaluation of template or model food control plan New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice [PDF, 390 KB]  

Food Notice. Approved Food Control Plan Template (New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice/NZGAP) [PDF, 265 KB]

Related information

Section 45 of the Food Act 2014 – NZ Legislation

Making your submission

Email your submission by 5pm on 23 December 2020 to foodact.2014@mpi.govt.nz

Make sure you include in your submission:

  • the title of the document in the subject line of your email
  • your name and title (if applicable)
  • your organisation's name (if applicable)
  • your address.

While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:

Food and Beverage Team
New Zealand Food Safety
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand.

Background to consultation

The Food Act 2014, which came into effect in March 2016, introduced a risk-based approach to managing food safety. National programmes and food control plans are plans that identify food safety risks and set out how these will be managed on a day-to-day basis.

The act requires that food business operators take responsibility for ensuring food is safe and suitable. Businesses need to be aware of the risks and be able to show how they are managing these. Section 40 of the act allows MPI's chief executive to approve a template or model FCP which has been developed outside of MPI.

This allows food businesses or industry groups to:

  • develop their own FCP and have it approved so that each business using the plan does not need to submit their plan for individual evaluation, and
  • make adjustments to the MPI templates to include multi-site or multi-business specific procedures or practices, or to reflect common language/terminology used in the business and have those changes approved.

Submissions are public information

Note, that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

Tell us if you think that there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that 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 tell us to release it.