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Waiver from evaluation for custom food control plans developed through the 'What I Need To Do' tool

UPDATE – 12 FEBRUARY 2019

A food notice and a summary of submissions received during the consultation have been released.

Background

New Zealand Food Safety has been working on tools to help food businesses that fit across multiple sectors to develop their food safety plans.

We're developing a new 'What I Need To Do' online tool which will replace the current 'Where Do I Fit' tool. A food business operator will be asked a series of questions that will capture all of their sectors, products, processes of interest, trading operations and location so that the correct risk-based measure is provided based on their specific circumstances, alongside who their Registration Authority is and potential verifiers. The food business will then receive a document detailing their legal obligations under the Food Act 2014, which may be a Food Control Plan (FCP) or National Programme.

New Zealand Food Safety invited you to have your say about the proposed "Food Notice: Exemption from Evaluation for Custom Food Control Plans developed through the 'What I Need To Do' Tool".

What was proposed?

The Food Notice proposed to allow food businesses that use the new 'What I Need To Do' online tool, which delivers a plan based on pre-evaluated content, developed by New Zealand Food Safety, to be waived from evaluation – as we've already done that for food businesses. We wanted to know what you thought about the proposed Notice.

Consultation document

Your feedback sought

We welcomed all comments, but were specifically interested in the following:

  • After reading the draft notice, do you understand what you need to do?
  • Do you agree that the waiver from evaluation should only be granted if the food business submits its FCP, and MPI confirms that it consists of suitable content based on content developed and pre-evaluated by MPI?
  • Do you agree that the waiver from evaluation should only be granted if the food business has been interviewed by MPI about its FCP, and MPI approves the FCP as suitable and accurate?

Submissions closed on 18 January 2019.

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 (refer to 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 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.