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OrganicFarmNZ Food Control Plan section 40 application

UPDATE – 9 JULY 2019

A summary of submissions received during the consultation is available to download.

OrganicFarmNZ submissions summary [PDF, 115 KB]

Have your say

OrganicFarmNZ (OFNZ) has requested approval of its Food Control Plan (FCP) under section 40 of the Food Act 2014. The OFNZ plan is modelled on the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) National Programme guidance.

The OFNZ scope of operations falls under the risk-based measure for growing, harvesting, minimal processing and packing of horticultural produce (National Programme 1). This includes bottling edible oil after it has been processed by a National Programme 3 business and supplied in-bulk containers. 

MPI has evaluated the OFNZ plan to ensure it meets the requirements of the Food Act 2014.

We want your feedback. Do you see any problems with approving the OFNZ template?

The consultation will run from 17 June 2019 until 5pm on 28 June 2019.

Consultation documents

The OrganicFarmNZ (OFNZ) template is available only to OFNZ members. However, you can download MPI's evaluation of the OFNZ template and the draft Notice.

Making your submission

Email your submission by 5pm on 28 June 2019 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 Implementation Programme
Ministry for Primary Industries
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 (FCPs) are plans that identify food safety risks and set out how these will be managed on a day-to-day basis.

The Food 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 Food 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 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.