Food Standards Australia New Zealand is well down the track with its Primary Production and Processing (PPP) Standard for Eggs and Egg Products, the latest of a series of PPP standards being developed to include in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

PPP standards are mandatory national regulations, enforced by all States and Territories.

The idea of PPP standards emerged in 2000 when the Council of Australian Governments agreed to major changes to the food regulatory system, one of which was a mandate for FSANZ to
address food safety across the entire food chain where appropriate.

The Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council adopted a whole-of-chain approach to food safety in Australia in 2002 to facilitate a preventive approach to significant food
safety risks across the food supply chain.

FSANZ has since developed a PPP standard for seafood and dairy products and, as well as a PPP standard for eggs and egg products, we are also working on one for poultry meat.

FSANZ released the Initial Assessment Report for eggs and egg products for government, industry and consumers. The Standard Development Committee (SDC) subsequently discussed the issues raised in the submissions.

FSANZ’s Risk Assessment team, with assistance from an expert scientific panel, analysed the possible risks of egg contamination across the whole egg production chain, including on-farm, processing, handling and retail storage right through to human consumption. This report has now been through international peer review and will shortly be provided to the SDC for comment.

Now the FSANZ has identified the food safety risks, they are in the process of developing control measures to minimise those risks, and will also discuss these control measures with the Standard Development Committee.

A cost-benefit analysis of the different management options of addressing the food safety risks will then follow. The analysis will assess the impact of the different options for the standards on stakeholders who will be affected, for example egg producers, processors, retailers, governments and consumers.

Following this analysis, FSANZ will prepare a draft standard for consideration by the FSANZ Board.

FSANZ is currently holding consultations with states and territories, plus the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, relating to the implementation of PPP standards as a whole.

Source: Food Standards News, No 64, Autumn 2008