Confused about the new Food Bill?
Home » Blog » Siobhan Leathley » Confused about the new Food Bill?Will it shut down farmers markets and community gardens or simply halt food poisoning in its tracks? There's a lot of misinformation going around about the new Food Bill before Parliament and the effect it'll have on New Zealanders. We take a look at some of the different viewpoints
Image by Natalie Maynor via Flickr
There's currently a new 'Food Bill' this year which will replace the Food Act 1981. For more about what it contains, see 'Food Bill: What's the fuss?' in Good #21 – or read it online here.
Opponents to the bill include Jodie Bruning, who has been passing around an online petition to stop it being passed through Parliament.
Bruning says one of the main reasons she’s opposed to the bill is because it allows police officers to act as food safety officers. This means police would be able to raid premises, without warrants and while carrying guns.
The petition has so far received 30,000 of the 50,000 signatures needed. More information on the petition is available here.
Defenders of the bill say the Food Bill was created because of the high incidence of food poisoning in New Zealand. The total cost to the country is estimated to be $86 million per year; 90 percent of this is due to people taking sick days from work due to food poisoning.
The new bill looks at the food processes and practices that need to be in place in order to keep food safe. Its focus will mainly be on restaurants and takeaways that deal with a broad range of high-risk foods on a daily basis. Under the new bill, low-risk activities including cake stalls, fundraisers and sausage sizzles will not require specific regulatory controls. Instead, 'food handlers guidance' is proposed as part of the MAF approach.
For more information on MAF and their involvement in the bill, visit their website.
If you’re finding that you’re in need of a good laugh on the subject then checkout Alf Grumble’s blog. He considers himself 'the long-serving and much-admired Member for Eketahuna North'.
For further information on the subject, this NZ Herald article may clear up your questions on the subject.
Tue January 10, 2012 @ 07:32 AM
