Page 1373 - Week 05 - Thursday, 31 May 2007
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catering businesses serving food to the general public will need to have food safety programs introduced in the second part of 2009.
(17) What steps has the Government taken to ensure businesses and other organisations are ready for the implementation of mandatory food safety programs;
Food businesses that will need to introduce food safety programs in 2007 were approached in December 2006 and reminded of the requirements. ACT Health’s public health officers have been working with these food businesses clarifying the requirements and establishing their needs. The dedicated project team is currently preparing supporting material for food businesses including fact sheets, posters, brochures and templates.
An amendment to the Food Regulation 2002 has been drafted to facilitate the introduction of food safety programs.
(18) If any category of food business will not be subject to mandatory food safety programs, why has the Government chosen not to implement mandatory food safety programs for each category;
The decision to introduce food safety programs for certain highest risk food businesses was based on the findings from the National Risk Validation Project; Food Safety Management Systems - Costs, Benefits and Alternatives Report; including a cost-benefit analysis, which showed a significant cost-benefit ratio for mandating food safety programs for these highest risk food business sectors.
In future, after a cost-benefit analysis, the ANZFRMC may be asked to consider whether further food business sectors may be required to have food safety programs.
(19) If mandatory food safety programs are to be implemented in a staged way, why was each category selected for implementation ahead of each of the others;
The introduction of food safety programs for the identified highest risk food business sectors is at the national level and is determined by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand work on the development of appropriate standards within the Food Standards Code. ACT Health participates in this process.
(20) What steps has the ACT Government taken to prepare for a serious food poisoning outbreak;
The Health Protection Services routinely responds to notification of food borne illness, within a 24-hour period. In the event of a major incident the ACT has been participating at a national level to determine the best way to manage large outbreaks.
The HPS has an Acute Response Team that meets as soon as a potential outbreak is identified and routinely as time elapses to identify and minimise any potential outbreaks. The team also meets regularly to ensure that we are prepared for and trained in response requirements.
(21) What projections have been made in terms of cost of a serious food poisoning outbreak to the ACT Government and the ACT economy.
There have not been any projections on the cost of a serious food poisoning outbreak to the ACT Government and the ACT economy.
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