Annual Report 2005-06 - NSW Food Authority - NSW Government

NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006

ContentsPart 1 NSW Food AuthorityMinister’s Foreword 2Letter of Submission 3Our Director-General 4Our Highlights 9Our Organisation 10Our Service Groups1: Food Regulatory FrameworkDevelopment & Review 172: Industry Consultation, Training & Advice 223: Compliance & Enforcement 254: Communication & Coordination with otherGovernment Services 305: Public Information & Education 336: Consumer & Industry Contact Centre 367: Internal Services 38Our Other Activities 43Our Committees 54Our Future 56Financial Information for theNSW Food Authority 2005/06 59Part 2 Controlled Entities of theNSW Food AuthorityAnnual Report 2005/06 ISSN 1448-5168 © October 2006.All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968(Commonwealth), no use of this work, which is within the exclusiveright of the copyright owner, may be made.

Our MinisterOver the last year, theNSW Food Authorityhas spearheaded theNSW Government’scommitment toenhancing food safetyin the state.As the only fullyintegrated food safetyagency in Australia, theAuthority, on behalf ofthe NSW Government,works to make surefood in NSW is safe from ‘paddock to plate’.It does this by working closely with the food industry andundertaking science research and policy development.Recognised at a national and international level, theAuthority is an innovator in food safety, with the ultimatebeneficiary being NSW consumers.The last 12 months have seen a significant amount ofwork and challenges as the Authority seeks to improvefood safety and standards through its ongoing surveys,compliance, enforcement and surveillance work.I am also pleased to say the NSW Government hasallocated $1.58 million to a new local governmentpartnership that will further boost consumer food safetyand enable authorities to respond more quickly to foodemergencies and recalls.For example, making sure consumers know where theirfood comes from and that it is correctly labelled is apriority. A series of campaigns targeting blackmarketseafood labelling, coupled with routine surveillance hasunderpinned the Government’s aim of ensuring NSWconsumers are not misled about the origin of their food.Another important area was the continuing crackdown onthe illegal use of sulphur dioxide in fresh mince. As aresult of ongoing work with industry, the illegal use ofsulphur dioxide to disguise old and sub-standard minceplummeted from 58 percent of retail butchers tested inOctober 2004 to about 2.5 percent per month in 2005/06.The Authority has also continued identifying potentialhigh-priority food areas that need special attention to helpfood businesses identify risks and reduce them. A seriesof information ‘roadshows’ were held around NSW toprovide important details about a new scheme to makesure patients/residents in hospitals and aged carefacilities continue to get safe food.Just as important is the close working relationship theAuthority enjoys with industry. In December 2005, Ilaunched a new industry newsletter, Foodwise, thatregularly updates industry stakeholders about emergingissues and regulatory developments.I am confident the Authority will continue to work closelywith stakeholders across industry and the community toachieve the common goal of improving food safety foreveryone in NSW over the next year.This will help stamp out duplication and inefficientallocation of resources across NSW in the campaignagainst unsafe and incorrectly labelled food.The Authority has also moved ahead with its consumereducation and engagement agenda, with a number ofimportant initiatives in this area.The Hon. Ian Macdonald MLCNSW Minister for Primary Industries2

Letter of Submission31 October 2006The Hon Ian Macdonald MLCNSW Minister for Primary IndustriesLevel 33Governor Macquarie Tower1 Farrer PlaceSydney NSW 2000Dear MinisterI am pleased to submit the Annual Report and consolidated financial statements of theNSW Food Authority and its private subsidiary corporations, Milk Marketing (NSW) Pty Limitedand Pacific Industry Services Corporation Pty Limited for the year ended 30 June 2006.The Report was prepared under the provisions of the Food Act 2003 and the Annual Reports(Statutory Bodies) Act 1984.Yours sincerelyGeorge DaveyDirector-GeneralNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Minister3

Our Director-GeneralIn reflecting on our work over the past 12 months, it ispleasing to note the substantial progress that has beenmade since April 2004, when the Authority becameAustralia’s first and only integrated food safety agency.While our primary role of safeguarding NSW consumersby ensuring the safety of the food they eat continues, howwe deliver on that has been changing over the past year.With increasing responsibilities and national andinternational recognition of the Authority as a leader infood safety, we face new challenges on delivering a rangeof services to all our stakeholders – consumers, industry,local government and other government agencies.Organisational change, particularly in relation to how ourstaff respond to emerging and ongoing issues, has been akey focus of 2005/06. Importantly, over the past year, wehave taken the step of moving away from directlyundertaking all activities ourselves, with its highinvestment in resources and time, to ‘enabling’ others toact on our behalf, relieving our limited resources fordealing with the more complex issues. This Annual Reportrecords how we have met these challenges.Addressing organisational changeThe Authority has always had a positive approach tochange. During 2005/06, it became apparent that weneeded to prepare for change in a structured way. TheExecutive, together with our staff, developed a MasterChange Plan, which captured existing and new projectsthat needed completing in the next few years to help usdevelop as an organisation. It identified nine broad areasof work: through-chain risk management, enforcement,consumer education, financial management, nationalprojects and processes, human resources management,communication, information management and knowledgemanagement. As a result, 38, mainly interlinked, projectsor work programs were identified.4

The primary responsibility of“the Authority is to ensure thatthe food eaten by the NSWcommunity is safe. ”The Master Change Plan led to the development of a newThree-Year Strategic Plan, which identified 12 milestonesthe Authority needs to achieve by June 2007 to help us toreach our ‘enabling’ goals by 2009. These form ourstrategic priorities for the next 18 months.Focussing on risk and buildingpartnershipsThe key food safety equation in NSW is that 115 Authoritystaff are responsible for regulating around 55,000 foodbusinesses. The Authority is seeking to meet thischallenge by pursuing two important strategies.First, we are adopting a risk based approach to our work.This has been assisted by the Authority during the yearleading the development of a national Priority RiskClassification System, with funding from theCommonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Withthis system, food businesses can be allocated into one offour priority categories, depending on their food safetyrisk profile. For example, a newsagency which sellspackaged confectionery and snacks has a much lower riskprofile than a manufacturer of fermented salamis.The Authority recognises it must concentrate its resourceson food activities which, if left unchecked or unregulated,could adversely impact on public health. The newclassification system means we can assign risk ratings tofood businesses and concentrate our activities on thehigh-risk food industries.The second strategy is to move away from a focus ondirect regulation of the entire food chain with limitedresources – as a ‘doer’ – to one of facilitating andsupporting regulation in partnership with others – as an‘enabler’. We have started the transition and I amconfident it will lead to positive outcomes that willultimately benefit the consumer. New partnerships andother innovative schemes will help us balance the foodsafety equation in our favour so we can continue to ensurethat food in NSW is safe and correctly labelled.Working with local governmentWe cannot, of course, become enablers without enablingothers to help us. A key partner for the Authority indelivering an effective food regulatory role is localgovernment. The Authority and its predecessororganisations have enjoyed a strong and cooperativeworking relationship with local government for manyyears.To further strengthen our relationship and deliver evenbetter outcomes for NSW, the Authority has developed anew partnership model in consultation with localgovernment. The new model ensures all councils in NSWundertake a food regulatory role, according to theircapacity and resources. This will deliver greatercoordination and eliminate duplication, and means thatauthorities can respond even faster to food emergenciesand recalls. In a major funding boost from Government,the Authority received $1.58 million for 2006/07 to beginimplementation of the new partnership model.Third-party audit arrangementsPivotal to us becoming an enabler is the move towards athird-party audit system for the high-risk food businesses.During the year, the Authority played a lead role in thedevelopment of a national framework for auditormanagement, now nearing completion. We also furtherdeveloped our plans for a NSW system which will alignwith the national framework.Under this arrangement, the Authority will be able togrant approval to external auditors with the qualifications,skills and knowledge in food safety auditing to conductfood regulatory audits on the Authority’s behalf. The newsystem will be closely monitored to ensure that theAuthority’s high standards are reflected and maintained bythird-party auditors.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Director-General5

“The Authority is currently developing models which will seeprivate sector auditors and local government officers becomepart of a coordinated food regulatory system. ”Putting consumers firstThe images in this annual report, especially of theExecutive sharing a meal together, illustrates that thepeople who work for the Authority are consumers too.We want people to enjoy food more and worry about itless. In doing this, we will not compromise on acting inthe best interests of the consumer. Accordingly, acting inthe public interest in relation to inspection andenforcement functions and dealing with food safetyincidents is the touchstone giving direction to our work.This approach was well illustrated during the year, whenelevated levels of dioxins were detected in Sydney Harbourprawns and fish. This presented the Authority with acomplex and difficult food safety issue, which receivedsustained and highly emotive media coverage. TheAuthority, under enormous pressure, workedcooperatively with all stakeholders to ensure that thehealth of NSW consumers was not jeopardised.To assist in the management of this issue, the Authorityimmediately established an expert panel of Australia’sleading toxicologists to provide independent advice, basedon sound and robust science. The panel concluded thatfish and prawns from Sydney Harbour should not beconsumed on a regular basis. On advice from theAuthority, the Minister for Primary Industries, the Hon. IanMacdonald, accepted the panel’s advice and commercialfishing in Sydney Harbour was banned.The manner in which this issue was handled clearlydemonstrated that the Authority will not compromise onpublic health and safety, even when the consequences ofour actions can have a severe economic impact on asector of industry, in this case, the closing down of asmall but viable commercial fishery.New scheme developmentTo facilitate the continued development of new food safetyschemes for high-priority food industries, a majorinitiative was introduced this year to ensure affected foodbusinesses were supported with information andeducation materials.A series of information ‘roadshows’ were rolled out acrossNSW to show hospital and aged care facility staff how newfood safety schemes will affect them, and how tointroduce specialised food safety programs to keeppatients free from foodborne illness. The roadshowsattracted 1,200 industry attendees and feedback fromparticipants was overwhelmingly positive.In other developments, an Egg Food Safety Scheme wasprepared and is likely to be gazetted in late 2006. Schemedevelopment processes were ongoing for businessesserving food to vulnerable persons (including hospitals,aged care, meals on wheels and childcare facilities) aswell as businesses catering to the general population.Engagement in national policy andstandard setting processThe Authority continued its commitment to a national foodregulatory system and was an active participant in thedevelopment and implementation of a wide range ofnational policy and standards and took the lead role in anumber of key areas. For example, the Authority chairs aworking group, established by the Food RegulationStanding Committee (FRSC), the role of which is tofacilitate development of FRSC’s strategic outlook andfuture work priorities. The working group seeks to clearlydefine the purpose/objectives of the national foodregulatory system and establish the guiding principleswhich should underpin and drive the system.Better regulationWe are always mindful of industry’s concerns aboutunnecessary red tape and while some regulation is clearlynecessary, we are also prepared to reduce regulatoryburdens where and when we can. With this in mind, fourseparate regulations covering food safety schemes for the6

meat, dairy, seafood and plant products sectors wereconsolidated into one regulation, Food Regulation 2004. Thisconsolidated regulation established uniform arrangementsfor licensing, the certification of food safety programs andthe review of decisions made by the Authority, across thevarious food sectors where food safety schemes existed.Separately, the Authority also canvassed the views ofindustry stakeholders about our performance across arange of service measures. This information will be usedto determine if our services to industry can be improvedor enhanced. Initiatives such as these will ensure that wecan deliver our services to industry in a more timely andcost-efficient manner and that they are well received.Food safety campaignsI am pleased to report the Authority mounted a series ofhighly successful food safety campaigns during the pastyear, focusing on blackmarket fishing, fish labelling, theillegal use of sulphur dioxide in retail meat premises andfood hygiene in takeaway food outlets.The Authority joined forces with the NSW Department ofPrimary Industries as part of a NSW Governmentcrackdown on incorrectly labelled and blackmarket fish.Between February and May, Authority officers checked 293restaurants, seafood retailers, wholesalers, processors andcommercial fishers from Tweed Heads to Eden. Theoperation resulted in 255 offences under the Food Act 2003.One of the success stories of these campaigns has been thecrackdown on the illegal use of sulphur dioxide to disguiseold and sub-standard mincemeat. Ongoing surveillance andeducation resulted in infringement cases plummeting from58 percent the year before to just 2.5 percent on a monthlybasis. Authority inspectors now routinely check up toseveral hundred butchers and supermarkets each monthfor illegal use of sulphur dioxide.Our staff were also out on the highways, ensuringtakeaway food outlets continue to serve safe food. Of thefood outlets inspected along major highways, 87 percentpassed rigorous inspection.Consumer educationConsumer education remains an important part of ourmandate to ensure the safety of the food supply acrossNSW. Educating consumers, the end users of food,represents the final prong in our ‘Paddock to Plate’ strategy.The Authority’s first major campaign dealt withmisconceptions about mercury in fish and providedconsumers with healthy fish consumption messages. Thecampaign was an outstanding success, receiving anational public affairs award for excellence. The GoldenTarget Award recognises excellence, best practice andprofessionalism in public relations.The Sydney Royal Easter Show is another majoropportunity to reach out to consumers and the Authority’snew look stand at the 2006 Show attracted manythousands of visitors over the two-week event. The themewas ‘Keep It Cool’, highlighting the importance of keepingperishable foods cool to prevent the growth of pathogens.Three new mascots were launched at the show: Chilly thePenguin (Keep It Cool!); Fiery the Dragon (Heat It Up!) andSqueaky Clean the Platypus (Keep It Clean!).Listening and responding to stakeholder feedback is animportant part of how we do business. For the first time,the Authority carried out a major survey of consumers atthe Easter Show, with over 2,000 responses. The findingswill be used to help inform our communications andconsumer education initiatives.International engagement /recognitionI am proud to say the Authority’s success at riskcommunication was recognised internationally when wewere asked by the world’s leading health body to help devisecommunication solutions so other countries can show peoplehow to safely eat fish while reducing the risk from exposure toNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Director-General7

mercury. The World Health Organisation invited the Authorityto participate in a Geneva workshop, following the successof the Authority’s mercury in fish campaign. The Authorityalso participated in a key project, sponsored by the WorldHealth Organisation, to help China develop communicationstrategies during food crises and crises associated with foodproduction, such as an outbreak of bird flu.Towards the end of 2005/06, the Authority won a competitiveinternational tender to train Hong Kong food safety officialsabout risk communication and consumer engagement.Enabling our staffStaff remain the Authority’s most important asset. Duringthe past year, steps have been taken to enable our staff toperform more effectively and develop as individuals intheir roles.An innovative way of managing staff workloads andpromoting personal development, the Goal Setting,Development and Review System, was introduced and hasbeen well received. Major progress was also madetowards the implementation of a staff developmenttraining program, called Skills for Success to be rolled outearly in the new financial year.An outward looking organisationOur partnerships with other agencies, at home andabroad, have continued to develop and assist us inreaching our goals and objectives. The Authority pridesitself on working closely with stakeholders acrossgovernment, industry and consumer groups.Memoranda of understanding with the NSW Departmentof Primary Industries and NSW Health have proven highlyproductive, and led to the identification of a range of jointpriority work areas. The Authority also has operationalagreements with other Commonwealth and NSW agenciesto achieve greater efficiencies and ensure a coordinatedresponse to emergencies and emerging issues.Internationally, the Authority has developed partnershipswith other food agencies, notably the Chinese food safetyauthorities. We have a strong relationship with the BeijingAdministration of Industry and Commerce, arising frommy membership of the Beijing Olympics Expert Board onFood Safety, and work has advanced to agree on aMemorandum of Understanding with the Beijing foodsafety authorities. Our close relationship with the NewZealand Food Safety Authority will also be formallyrecognised through the development of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding.Links with the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agencyreceived further impetus with the appointment of GregIrwin, as Acting Executive Director Consumer andCorporate Services. Greg will act in this role for a yearwhile Samara Kitchener is on maternity leave.AcknowledgementsMany people and organisations have assisted us over whathas been a very challenging yet productive 12 months.In particular, I would like to thank Minister Macdonald,who continues to inject enormous energy and enthusiasminto the Authority, for his strong leadership, drive andcommitment.I would also like to thank our valued stakeholders inindustry, government, public health and consumer bodiesand the scientific and research community.Finally, I would like to thank our staff for theircommitment, talent, dedication and enormous hard work,without whom none of this would have been possible.George DaveyDirector-General8

Our HighlightsThere have been many outstanding achievements for theyear 2005/06 of which the most notable are listed below.At a glance…• No reported outbreaks of foodborne illness due toAuthority systems failures• Approval of $1.58 million in funding to support the NSWFood Regulation Partnership model to mandate localcouncils to carry out their regulatory role• Prompt and robust action by the Authority to protectconsumers after elevated levels of dioxins were foundin Sydney Harbour• Successful management of the recall and removal fromsale of Mars and Snickers bars as a response to anextortion threat to Masterfoods• International recognition for the Authority's kids' lunchboxes campaign when it was adopted by the US Army'sEnvironmental Health Unit• Introducing a Consolidated Food Safety Schemeregulation, covering all industry sectors with food safetyscheme requirements in a consistent manner• Developing an IT system to effectively captureinformation on foodborne illness complaints• Development of an Implementation Assist program forfood service to vulnerable persons• Continuing to develop its consumer education role. TheAuthority’s consumer education campaign on mercury infish received a Golden Target award by the PublicRelations Institute of Australia. For the first time, amajor survey of consumers was undertaken at the RoyalEaster Show to provide valuable information forplanning future communications campaigns• Carrying out a range of stakeholder surveys to enhancethe Authority’s service delivery• Incorporation of a Training and Development programinto the Authority’s performance management anddevelopment system, as a precursor to implementing anew Workforce Development program from 1 July 2006• Involving staff in the development of a Strategic Plan forthe Authority (valid for 2006–09)NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Highlights9

Our OrganisationOur historyThe NSW Food Authority was established on 5 April 2004by merging SafeFood NSW with the food regulatoryactivities of NSW Health. The merger completed theintegration process begun in 1998 when SafeFood NSWwas established to bring together a number of stateagencies and programs. The key steps in this six-yearprocess are shown in Figure 1.The Authority regulates the entire food industry in NSWand has introduced specific food safety schemes byregulation for a number of food industry sectors. TheAuthority reports to the Minister for Primary Industries.The Authority is Australia’s first and only ‘through-chain’food regulation agency, responsible for food safety acrossthe entire NSW food industry, from primary production topoint-of-sale. It enables a more streamlined, consistentand efficient approach to food regulation in NSW andprovides a single point of contact for both the industry andthe public.“The Authority is Australia’sfirst and only ‘through-chain’ foodregulation agency, responsible forfood safety across the entireNSW food industry. ”Our roleThe Authority provides the regulation framework for thefood industry in NSW by administering and enforcingNSW’s food legislation. This includes the national FoodStandards Code as it applies in NSW and in particular theFood Act 2003, and the food safety schemes introduced byregulation.The Authority’s work includes:• licensing and auditing businesses subject to food safetyschemes;• inspecting other food premises for compliance with foodsafety standards;• sampling and analysing foods for compliance with theFood Standards Code;• monitoring labels for compliance with the FoodStandards Code;• where necessary, penalising non-compliance; and• enhancing the scientific basis underpinning food policyand regulation.The Authority facilitates the development and review ofnational and NSW food legislation in consultation withstakeholders by:• contributing to the development and implementation ofnational food policies;• active involvement in applications and proposals toamend the Food Standards Code; and• establishing food safety schemes for high-risk foods andbusinesses through a process of risk prioritisation.The Authority also educates consumers on food issues by:• cultivating good food handling practices;• sharing information on food safety; and• providing information on food labelling.10

Figure 1: Evolution of the NSW Food AuthorityWorking with other NSW agenciesThe Authority works closely with other NSW governmentagencies, particularly NSW Health, the NSW Departmentof Primary Industries, the NSW Department ofEnvironment and Conservation, and the NSW Office of FairTrading.NSW Health remains responsible for the notifiable diseasesystem and surveillance of foodborne illness, andepidemiological investigation. The Authority and NSWHealth respond jointly to foodborne illness, nutritionpolicy and health promotion activities.The NSW Department of Primary Industries remainsresponsible for the control of animal and plant diseasesand pests, livestock identification and traceability, stockfoods, use of veterinary medicines and other products andfertilisers.Working with local governmentThe Authority works with local government to administerand enforce aspects of the Food Act and the FoodStandards Code, especially the food safety standards inthe Code.The Authority established the Food RegulationPartnership, which includes representation from the LocalGovernment and Shires Associations of NSW, theAustralian Institute of Environmental Health, theDevelopment and Environmental ProfessionalsAssociation, the NSW Department of Local Governmentand NSW Health. The partnership developed a mandatoryand resourced role for local government, working togetherwith the Authority, to regulate the NSW food industry.The Blueprint for this partnership was developed andagreed to by the NSW Government and local government.The Blueprint will be implemented in 2006/07. It willimprove the coordination and effectiveness of localgovernment in food regulation.Figure 2: The NSW Food Authority Regulation FrameworkInformedconsumersSafe andsuitablefoodFood RegulationFrameworkContribute tonational foodpolicies and standardsDevelop and enactNSW food legislation,including regulationsDevelop manuals andguidelines to assistfood businessesImplementFrameworkConsumersFoodBusinessesInformand EducateAuditInspectEnforceAdvise, Interpretand EducateNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Organisation11

NSW Food AuthorityExecutive (l-r)Lisa Szabo, George Davey,Craig Sahlin, Terry Outtrim,Samara Kitchener,Greg Irwin, Sian Malyn.Our management and structureOur management team comprises:George Davey, Director-GeneralGeorge leads the Authority asits Director-General andreports directly to the NSWMinister for Primary Industrieson all the Authority's activities,which are directed at ensuringfood in NSW is safe andsuitable. George is a Fellow ofthe Australian Institute of FoodScience and Technology Inc., aMember of the AustralianSociety for Microbiology Inc., and a Member of theInstitute of Food Technologists (USA). He holds Bachelorof Science (Honours] and Master of Science degrees inFood Technology from the University of NSW.Terry Outtrim, Executive DirectorOperationsTerry leads the OperationsBranch, which comprises workunits for compliance, audit andinspection, industries,enforcement, foodborneillness investigation, new foodsafety program development,food recall, technical andscientific support, labelling andthe NSW Shellfish Program.These functions extend statewide.Terry holds a Diploma in Dairy Technology fromHawkesbury Agricultural College.Craig Sahlin, Executive DirectorPolicy and ScienceCraig leads the Policy andScience Branch, which isresponsible for advising onstrategic direction,undertaking risk assessment,policy development andprogram evaluation, andcoordinating changes tolegislation, including the foodsafety scheme regulations.Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts(Honours) degree from Macquarie University and an LLBfrom the University of NSW.Sian Malyn, Executive DirectorFinance and LicensingSian leads the Finance andLicensing Branch, which isresponsible for managing allof the Authority's financialplanning, operational andreporting activities, includingthose of its controlled entitiesthe Office of the NSW FoodAuthority and subsidiarycompanies. The Branch is alsoresponsible for issuinglicences to over 13,000 primary production businesses inNSW. Sian holds a Bachelor of Business in Accountingfrom the University of Technology, Sydney.12

Figure 3: Work areas of the NSW Food AuthorityMinisterfor PrimaryIndustriesIndustryConsultativeCommitteesDirector-GeneralNSW Food AuthorityMinisterialAdvisoryCommitteeConsumer & CorporateServicesPolicy & Science Operations Finance & LicensingSamara Kitchener, Executive Director (until May 2006)Consumer and Corporate ServicesLisa Szabo, Chief Scientist (from January 2006)Policy and ScienceSamara leads the Consumerand Corporate ServicesBranch, which is responsiblefor consumer education andcommunication activities, theConsumer and IndustryContact Centre, and corporatefunctions, such as humanresources, informationmanagement and technologyand administration. Samaraholds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science andTechnology (Honours) from University of NSW, a GraduateCertificate in Applied Science (Dairy Technology) fromUniversity of Melbourne and a Masters of BusinessAdministration (Executive) from the Australian GraduateSchool of Management. Samara is currently on maternityleave.Greg Irwin, Acting Executive Director (from May 2006)Consumer and Corporate ServicesGreg assumed leadership ofConsumer and CorporateServices in May 2006 for oneyear while Samara Kitcheneris on maternity leave. Gregholds a Bachelor of Arts inPolitics (Honours) fromQueens University Belfast, aMaster of Social Science inIrish Politics from the sameUniversity, and a Master ofBusiness Administration from the Open UniversityBusiness School.Lisa assumed leadership ofthe Authority’s scientificmatters in January. Lisa is aMember of the AustralianInstitute of Food Science andTechnology Inc., a Member ofthe Australian Society forMicrobiology Inc. and aMember of the Institute ofFood Technologists (USA). Sheholds Bachelor of Science(Honours) and Doctor of Philosophy (Microbiology)degrees from the University of Queensland.Stefan Fabiansson, Acting Chief Scientist(until December 2005)Policy and ScienceStefan ensured the Authority's food safety managementand regulatory approaches are based on sound science.Stefan is a Member of the Royal College of VeterinarySurgeons (UK) and a Member of the InternationalAssociation for Food Protection (USA). He holds aBachelor of Veterinary Science degree from the SwedishRoyal Veterinary College and a PhD in Meat Science fromthe Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Stefantook up a position at the European Food Safety Authority.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Organisation13

How we workThe flowchart shown here is our Results Logic, part of ourResults and Services Plan (RSP), a framework introducedby NSW Treasury as a high-level business plan to helpgovernment agencies demonstrate the relationshipbetween the services delivered and the results that theyare working towards.The Authority uses the RSP as a decision making andplanning tool to help ensure resource allocation is alignedwith organisational priorities and achieves results. Itprovides the rationale for what we do and why we do it,and links organisational priorities with high-levelgovernment priorities. The RSP is explained in greaterdetail on the following page.NSW Food Authority service groupsThis part of the Annual Report has been divided into sevensections, addressing each of our seven key service groups,which are linked to the RSP.All Authority service groups deliver services which directlyimpact on one or more of the lower-level intermediateresults. The seven service groups are:1. Food Regulatory Framework Development and Review2. Industry Consultation, Training and Advice3. Compliance and Enforcement4. Communication and Coordination with OtherGovernment Services5. Public Information and Education6. Consumer and Industry Contact Centre7. Internal Services - which support delivery of allservices.More about Results and Services Plan (RSP)The Authority’s RSP is linked to two NSW Governmentpriorities:1. Building Healthier Communities, and2. Stronger NSW Economy.NSW Food Authority Results LogicGovernment Prioritywhich requiresResultwhich requiresIntermediate Result (Higher-Level)which requiresIntermediate Result (Lower-Level)Service Groups: 1 – 71: Food Regulatory Framework Development & Review2: Industry Consultation, Training & Advice3: Compliance & Enforcement4: Communication & Coordination with Other Government Services5: Public Information & Education6: Consumer & Industry Contact Centre7: Internal Services – which support delivery of all services14

Building Healthier CommunitiesStronger NSW EconomyConsumers make Less people get ill or Reputable, safe & competitiveinformed food choices injured through eating food NSW food industryFood is correctly Consumers handle food NSW food industry handles Aligned industry frameworklabelled & identified safely & properly food safely & properly (minimised costs & increased market access)Consumers are Sound NSW food NSW food industry is NSW food industry Coordinatededucated on safe regulatory aware of regulatory complies with food state/local/Comm& healthy food framework requirements regulation food regulationsNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I How we work15

Building Healthier CommunitiesThe Authority is responsible for making sure that food forsale is both safe and suitable for human consumption andis correctly labelled. This responsibility directly relates tothe government priority of building healthier communitiesin NSW. Several other government departments,principally NSW Health, also contribute to this priority.The Building Healthier Communities priority requires thatless people get ill or injured through eating food andconsumers make informed choices about the food they eat.These requirements are listed as the Authority’s plannedresults. To achieve these results, it is necessary that food iscorrectly labelled, that consumers handle food safely andproperly, and that the food industry handles food safely andproperly (higher-level intermediate results). Safe handling offood by industry includes the making, manufacturing,producing, collecting, extracting, processing, storing,transporting, delivering, preparing, treating, preserving,packaging, cooking, thawing, serving or displaying of food, asdefined by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Codewhich is administered in NSW by the Authority.Four of the lower-level intermediate results are groupedas results which link to the Authority’s food regulatoryresponsibilities. These include: that the regulatoryframework is sound (it is science-based and practicable);that industry is aware of the regulatory requirements; thatindustry complies; and that the Authority coordinates withother agencies which have food regulatoryresponsibilities. The remaining lower-level intermediateresult is linked to the Authority’s responsibility forconsumer information and community education.Stronger NSW EconomyIn carrying out its food regulatory functions, the Authoritytries to keep compliance costs for the food industry as lowas possible and make sure that areas of duplication areidentified and addressed. This supports the governmentpriority of a stronger NSW economy.Although only a small component of the Authority’sservice efforts feed into this priority, cost rationalisationand industry consultation form an important part of all theservices the Authority delivers to industry. These servicestogether help the food industry to be safe, competitive andreputable (planned result). Achieving the planned resultrequires the industry framework to be aligned with otherrequirements (eg. export requirements) to minimiseindustry cost and increase market access for NSWproduce. This higher-level intermediate result is in turnsupported by the four lower-level intermediate resultslinked to the Authority’s food regulatory responsibilities.The outcome of the Building Healthier Communitiespriority as a whole feeds into the Stronger NSW Economypriority because the annual cost of foodborne illness issubstantial when measured in terms of lost productivityand medical costs.Strategic Plan and Corporate PlanThe Authority also has a rolling three-year Strategic Planand a Corporate Plan, each of which is linked to the RSP.The Authority’s Strategic Plan 2006-09 identifies eighthigh-level outcomes, which the Authority seeks to achieveby mid 2009, and 12 interim milestones, which should bereached by mid 2007. The milestones provide the focus forthe current strategic program, which comprises projectsrelated to each milestone.The Strategic Plan is reviewed every 90 days by theExecutive, project leaders and a cross-section of otherstaff. Progress on the strategic program projects isassessed and new 90-day deliverables are set. Thecurrent Strategic Plan is set out on page 56 and its‘Outcomes’ and ‘Scorecard’ link to the ‘RSP Results’ and‘Results Indicators’.The RSP explains what we do and the Strategic Planexplains where we are going.The Corporate Plan establishes targets for each of theservice measures in the seven service groups and alsoincludes the 90-day deliverables in the current strategicprogram. Progress is reviewed monthly by the Authority’sExecutive. The Corporate Plan also provides theframework for branch plans made annually by each of theAuthority’s four branches.16

Service Group 1Food Regulatory FrameworkDevelopment & ReviewHighlightsKey activities• Extensive and successful consultation with businessesproviding food service to vulnerable persons involving20 information sessions across NSW, attended byapproximately 1,200 people.• Consolidation of four separate food safety schemes intoone regulation, Food Regulation 2004.This service group develops and contributes to policies,standards, other requirements, and programs whichensure that the food industry produces safe, suitable andcorrectly labelled food.Key requirements are expressed in legislation, principallythe NSW Food Act 2003, the NSW Food Regulation 2004,and the national Food Standards Code, which applies withforce of law in all states and territories. The legislationalso provides the basis for the Authority to ensurecompliance with requirements, including enforcementaction, and for recovery of regulatory costs from the foodindustry through licence fees, service charges and levies.The Food Regulation Agreement 2002, signed by theAustralian Government and all states and territories,provides for uniform adoption of the national FoodStandards Code and its implementation by state andterritory food regulatory agencies. The Code includesstandards on composition, labelling and contaminants,including microbiological and chemical limits for all foodsproduced or imported for sale in Australia and New Zealand.The Food Standards Code is gradually being extendedto primary production and processing activities and willultimately replace state-based standards and otherrequirements.The Agreement also requires states and territories towork towards a consistent approach to implementationand enforcement.The key activities of this service group are:• contributing to the development of national polices andthe Food Standards Code;• developing the policies, legislation and programs forimplementation of the Code in NSW; and• developing standards and other requirements forindustry sectors not yet covered by the Code.The Food Standards Code is developed by Food StandardsAustralia New Zealand (FSANZ) within a policy frameworkestablished by the Australia and New Zealand FoodRegulation Ministerial Council. The Council may request areview of standards approved by FSANZ and mayultimately reject or amend them. The Council is advisedand supported by the Food Regulation StandingCommittee (FRSC), which has also established anImplementation Sub-Committee (ISC) responsible forwork on consistent implementation and enforcement.The Authority’s Minister is the Lead NSW Minister on theCouncil and its Director-General is a member of FRSCand ISC. The Authority also participates in around 50committees and working groups established by FRSC,ISC and FSANZ.At state level, food safety schemes provide the basis forimplementation of the Code and state-basedrequirements. Food safety schemes are tailored to aspecific industry or industries and introduced byregulation. The development and review of these schemesis the major activity of this service group.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 117

AchievementsAt both national and state levels, the Authority’s work isbased on scientific risk assessment, transparency ofprocess, and stakeholder consultation. Relevant industrysectors are closely involved in food safety schemedevelopment to ensure that requirements are practicaland cost effective.This service group contributes to three of the five lowerlevelintermediate results. Its major responsibility is toensure a sound NSW food regulatory framework. It doesthis by ensuring that all regulatory requirements arebased on sound science and can be implemented byindustry, without imposing undue costs. The schemedevelopment process:• engages industry at grassroots and leadership levels toensure that the NSW food industry is aware ofregulatory requirements; and• where possible, aims to assist industry to implement thenew requirements.The Authority’s work with ISC, its efforts to align foodsafety schemes with existing and emerging nationalrequirements, and its liaison with local government in thisarea all contribute to coordinated local-state-Commonwealth food regulation. For example, followingthe closure of Sydney Harbour to commercial fishingbecause of dioxin contamination, a working group withinISC is developing a methodology to manage low-levelcontamination of food. The Authority is chairing the group.Legislative programDuring 2005/06, the Policy and Science Branch ensuredthe progress of work to keep the Authority’s legislativeframework up-to-date and addressing current policydirections and operational needs.• On 1 September 2005, the Dairy Industry ConferenceRegulation 1999 was automatically repealed andreplaced with the Dairy Industry Conference Regulation2005. The new regulation introduced a revisedcomposition for the NSW Dairy Industry Conference andprovided for an independent Chairperson appointed bythe Minister.• On 2 September 2005, the Food Regulation 2004 wasamended by the Food Amendment (Food SafetySchemes) Regulation 2005. This amendment repealed:- Food Production (Dairy Food Safety Scheme)Regulation 1999- Food Production (Meat Food Safety Scheme)Regulation 2000- Food Production (Seafood Safety Scheme)Regulation 2001 and- Food Production (Plant Products Food Safety Scheme)Regulation 2005.The new amended Food Regulation 2004 sets outuniform administrative arrangements across the variousfood sectors where food safety schemes have beenestablished for:- the issuing and renewal of licences;- the imposition and variation of terms and conditionson licences;- the suspension or cancellation of licences;- the certification of food safety programs; and- the review of decisions made by the Authority.18

“The coverage of the Food Standards Code is gradually being extendedto primary production and processing activities and will ultimately replacestate-based standards and other requirements. ”Provisions from individual food safety schemes that areunique to that scheme continue to operate as separateparts in the new regulation. New food safety schemesfor eggs, food service to vulnerable persons andcatering operations are currently in various stages ofdevelopment. Once finalised, these new schemes will beadded as parts to the new regulation and the uniformadministrative arrangements will be adopted by the newschemes.• Work progressed on a proposal for a new regulation toreplace the Meat Industry (Meat Industry Levy)Regulation 1999 which is due for automatic repeal on 1September 2006. The new regulation will not introduceany substantive changes. A draft regulation wasprepared together with a regulatory impact statement.These documents were released for public comment inJune 2006.NSW policy development included:• finalisation and approval of the Blueprint for the NSWFood Regulation Partnership, a major policy initiativedirected towards creating a more effective andcoordinated role for local councils;• finalisation of a model for effective consultation withsmall food businesses, in conjunction with theDepartment of State and Regional Development;• establishment of emergency management policies andprocedures to enable appropriate and timely responsesto food supply emergencies, and to facilitate effectivecommunication with industry and government; and• review of the NSW Health policy directive on control offoodborne Listeriosis in health care institutions toensure consistency with the proposed standard forvulnerable populations.Policy developmentPolicy development over the year was undertaken in thenational arena as well as within NSW. National policydevelopment included participation in:• a comprehensive review of Food Standards AustraliaNew Zealand assessment and approval processes toimprove timeliness and to facilitate industry innovationin standards development;• a review of the standard for mercury in fish to identifyalternate approaches to addressing the regulation ofmercury in foods;• development of a Ministerial Council policy on theaddition to foods of nutritive substances other thanvitamins and minerals; and• a review of the Ministerial Council policy for primaryproduction and processing standards.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 119

Case Study: Evaluation of Red Meat AbattoirsTop: Swabbing lambRight: Checking loadout temperatureThe Authority conducted apilot project to evaluate theeffectiveness of food safetyschemes in all domesticred meat abattoirs in NSW.This industry hasundergone major change inthe last 10 years, with theintroduction of HACCPprograms, company basedmeat inspection andmicrobiological monitoring.Therefore, abattoirs wereconsidered an idealindustry for the pilotevaluation.The main objective of theevaluation was to assessthe effectiveness of theMeat Food Safety Schemeand how food safety risk ismanaged by the industryand the Authority.Sixteen abattoirs were partof the review. From Marchto June 2006, theevaluation team visitedeach domestic red meatabattoir in NSW. Theevaluation team assessedeach site against astandard questionnaire,taking on average 10 hoursto complete each site.The Authority is aiming torelease the findings toindustry in late 2006. Theresults will enable theAuthority to prioritiseregulatory effort in thedomestic red meat abattoirsector. In addition, thefindings will assist indeveloping an evaluationprogram for all industryareas.Standards developmentFood Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)coordinates applications and proposals to amend the FoodStandards Code and circulates for comment reports at theinitial assessment stage and the draft assessment stage.The Authority is represented on a number of FSANZstandards development committees and endeavours tosubmit comments on all circulated assessment reports, inconsultation with other relevant state governmentdepartments.During the year, the Authority contributed to thestandards development process for:• food safety programs for food service to vulnerablepopulations;• food safety programs for catering operations to thegeneral public;• nutrition, health and related claims;• country of origin labelling; and• review of the novel food standard.20

Food safety scheme developmentThe New Scheme Development Unit develops food safetyregulations for food industries that have been identified bythe Authority as potentially presenting a higher risk toconsumers. Industry working groups assist the Unit toensure the regulations are practical and effective. TheUnit also helps newly regulated industries to meet therequirements of the new regulation by providingassistance packages. In addition, the Unit has been aprime interface between the Authority and industry,responding to an extensive number of enquiries.In 2005/06, the Authority:• completed and distributed assistance material forSeafood Smokers;• produced and distributed assistance materials forhospitals, aged care facilities and other similarbusinesses, in preparation for the food safety schemefor food service to vulnerable persons;• prepared and issued an industry assistance package toall goat milk licensees;• coordinated several reference group and working groupmeetings with industry regarding the proposedregulations for egg and egg products, and food serviceto vulnerable persons;• prepared and circulated industry newsletters about theproposed regulation for food service to vulnerablepersons;• conducted an extensive industry consultation phase withbusinesses that provide food service to vulnerablepersons through 20 information sessions (roadshows)across NSW, attended by approximately 1,200 people;• participated and presented at numerous seminars,conferences and workshops, particularly in the aged andhealth care industry; and• following the enactment of the Food (Plant ProductsFood Safety Scheme) Regulation 2005, assisted inconducting inspections for plant products licensees.Scheme evaluation programDuring the year, the Authority commenced a SchemeEvaluation Program, with the aim of measuring theeffectiveness of food safety schemes in managing foodsafety risk from the three perspectives of:1. industry awareness and performance;2. Authority implementation; and3. appropriateness of the regulatory framework.The program represents a new approach for assessing theeffectiveness of food safety regulation in NSW. At thistime, two pilots have been conducted in order to developthe methodology. A new (plant products) and a mature(meat) food safety scheme were selected for the pilots.The information collected will help the Authority bettertarget food safety interventions. These findings will:• enable the Authority to develop programs to assistindustry improve performance; and• form a comparative baseline for future evaluations.Preliminary results for the plant products pilot werepresented in the poster session at the 6th AIFST FoodMicrobiology Conference, Sydney (2006). The evaluationfindings for both studies will be communicated directly toindustry in the near future.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 121

Service Group 2Industry Consultation,Training & AdviceHighlights• Inaugural meeting of Poultry and Egg IndustriesCommittee took place on 23 March 2006.• Six presentations to Rural Lands Protection Boards tocommunicate the role of the Authority and use of themeat industry levy.• New industry newsletter, Foodwise, launched byMinister.This service group provides information and technicaladvice to industry about regulatory requirements andestablishes mechanisms for industry to discuss issueswith the Authority. Industry consultation on existing foodsafety schemes is achieved through industry consultativecommittees.The Authority provides technical advice and industrytraining through targeted communication, involvement inindustry conferences, associations and groups, and byresponding to calls to the Consumer and Industry ContactCentre. This service group’s key stakeholder is industry,comprising individual food businesses and industrygroups. Other stakeholders involved in the process ofproviding consultation, training and advice includeconsumer groups, other government agencies (both NSWand national) and food industry leaders and scientists.The role of this service group is ensuring that the NSWfood industry:• is aware of regulatory requirements; and• complies with food regulations.This is facilitated by introducing programs to provideindustry with the tools and knowledge required to complywith food regulations.Key Activities andAchievementsIndustry consultation programIn accordance with Section 105 of the Food Act 2003, theAuthority consults with the relevant industry on theoperation of a food safety scheme or any proposedamendment of a food safety scheme. A consultative oradvisory committee is established for each food safetyscheme to provide advice to the Minister and the Authorityon any issue relating to food.Advisory committees currently operating are:• NSW Dairy Industry Conference(four meetings held during year)• Peak Oyster Advisory Group(two meetings held during year)• NSW Shellfish Committee(three meetings held during year)• NSW Seafood Industry Conference(four meetings held during year)• Meat Industry Consultative Council(three meetings held during year).A Poultry and Egg Industries Committee held its inauguralmeeting in March 2006. It will be consulted on theoperation of the Egg Food Safety Scheme when introducedin late 2006.The advisory committees, with independent chairpersonsappointed by the Minister, comprise industry, governmentand consumer representatives and provide for a forumwhere issues can be discussed and addressed.During the year, a sub-committee of the Meat IndustryConsultative Council completed a review of the meatindustry levy. As a result, during March and April 2006,presentations were made to the regional conferences ofthe Rural Lands Protection Boards, including:22

Case Study: A newsletter is born - FoodwiseOn the evening of 12December 2005, theMinister for PrimaryIndustries, the Hon. IanMacdonald, launched thefirst issue of Foodwise.Through the diversemembership of theindustry advisorycommittees, the Authorityis able to stay abreast ofcommunity issues, industrydevelopments andemerging trends. Someof the Authority’s longstandingcommitteesindicated a need forregular communicationwith industry … and soFoodwise was born.Foodwise is an industrynewsletter that highlightsissues and developmentsapplicable to industrystakeholders as a wholeand to specific industries.It is distributed as aprinted or email newsletterto all licensees, and isavailable on the websitethrough the industry webpages.Minister for Primary Industries,the Hon. Ian Macdonald launchingthe first issue of Foodwise on 12December 2005.• Northern Slopes and Plains and Northern TablelandsRegional Conference, Inverell;• joint North and South Coast Regional Conference,Maitland;• Western Division Regional Conference, Bourke;• Southern Slopes and Plains Regional Conference,Gundagai;• Central Slopes and Plains Regional Conference, Molong;and• Southern Tablelands Regional Conference, Young.At these presentations, information was provided aboutthe roles of the Council and the Authority, the meatindustry levy review process and how levy funds are used.Terry Outtrim, Executive Director, Operations, alsoaddressed the Annual State Conference of Rural LandsProtection Boards, held in Narrabri in June 2006.Industry information and advice programThe Authority has a dedicated technical unit which keepsup-to-date with industry developments, new technologies,and scientific innovations. The unit provides technicaladvice to industry through direct contact, workshops,presentations, technical papers, fact sheets andinterpretation of standards and legislation.Activities 2005/06Industry fact sheets• Development of a number of industry fact sheets(see list on page 45).Industry workshops• Meetings with fishers along the NSW coast• Development of Listeria monocytogenes in Smallgoodsmanual with Meat and Livestock Australia• National Food Incidence Response Protocol Workshopwith Food Standards Australia New Zealand• Food Safety Objectives Workshop in conjunction withFood Science Australia and Food Standards AustraliaNew Zealand• Workshop on safe manufacture of Kibbe for the Arabicand Lebanese communities (in conjunction with NSWCommunity Relations Commission)• Dairy Industry Critical Issues Management and RecoveryWorkshop with Dairy AustraliaGeneral circulars• Rinsing of oysters during opening• Testing requirements for businesses farming andopening oystersNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 223

“The Authority ensures thatconsultation takes place with therelevant industry on the operationof a food safety scheme. ”Consulting with commercial fishersAs data and advice became available on the riskspresented by dioxins in seafood from Sydney Harbour inNovember 2005, the Authority engaged in directcommunication with the NSW seafood industry. Meetingswere held with commercial fishers from Sydney Harbouralong with representatives from the NSW Seafood IndustryConference. The meetings provided fishers with informationon dioxins and their presence in seafood from SydneyHarbour, and involved the industry in discussing riskmanagement strategies. (Refer also to ‘Temporary closureon commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour’ on page 28.)Food handler training programThe Authority continues to investigate the potential forenhancing food safety through the training andassessment of food handlers, especially those working inareas of significant public health risk. There is substantialbut qualified support from food service industryassociations and from representatives of small business.In particular, practical options for assessing current foodhandlers for skills and knowledge have emerged as aneffective tool. The investigation will also liaise with anational approach underway through the ImplementationSub-Committee of the Food Regulation StandingCommittee.Industry communicationsCommunicating with industry about regulatory and foodsafetyissues continues to be an important means ofachieving the Authority’s objective of ensuring the safetyof food supply for NSW consumers. During 2005/06, anumber of the consultative committees identified the needto increase the level of communications with the variousindustry sectors. As a result, industry communicationswas identified as a high-priority area and the position ofIndustry Communications Coordinator was filled inSeptember 2005.The nine months from end September 2005 to June 2006has seen some significant achievements, including:• the development and production of Foodwise;• the development of standardised covers, templates andstyles for all industry communications, such as factsheets and guidelines;• 13 new fact sheets being produced, from generalinformation for licensees, with the Single Food Licenceand Auditing in the Food Industry fact sheets to industryspecific fact sheets, such as Labelling of UnpackagedSeafood;• contacts being made with key industry media to ensurethat new industries can be targeted successfully incommunicating information about new regulations;• the production of a special brochure, Your Meat IndustryLevy, which was distributed to all Rural LandsProtection Boards’ rate payers to inform them of the levyand its use; and• the Authority’s participation in and sponsorship ofindustry events, such as Oysters in the House.Industry publications• Foodwise – Issue 1 December 2005, Issue 2 March 2006,Issue 3 June 2006.• Your Meat Industry Levy brochure.• Please see page 45 for a list of industry fact sheets.24

Service Group 3Compliance &EnforcementHighlightsKey stakeholders• Prompt and robust action by the Authority to protectconsumers after elevated levels of dioxins were foundin Sydney Harbour.• Continuing successful enforcement action – such asa joint operation with the NSW Department of PrimaryIndustries to combat an illegal blackmarket in retailseafood.This service group ensures the safety and integrity of theNSW food supply by monitoring NSW food industrycompliance with regulatory requirements. This includesenforcement of the Food Act 2003, Food Standards Codeand the Food Regulation 2004 by:• applying the Food Standards Code, including labellingand advertising compliance;• inspecting food premises, vehicles and equipment usedfor the handling of food;• auditing and verifying statutory food safety programs;• managing the NSW Shellfish Program, which addressesclassification of harvest and growing areas, harvestcontrol, harvest restriction on public health grounds,and post-harvest handling;• undertaking surveys of foods, food hygiene practices,industry verification and benchmarking studies;• investigating consumer and food industry complaints; and• providing export certificates for NSW food exporters.A critical element of this service group is a capacity forquick response in the event of a system breakdown. Twokey areas of work are:• investigating foodborne infections and intoxications, incooperation with NSW Health; and• conducting, monitoring and supervising food recalls, incooperation with Food Standards Australia New Zealandand local government.Key stakeholders for this service group are consumers offood in NSW, licensed food businesses within the meat,dairy, seafood and plant products industries, and, ingeneral, the food import, manufacturing, transport andservice sectors throughout NSW. Other key stakeholdersare government agencies such as local councils, NSWPolice, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, FoodStandards Australia New Zealand, CommonwealthDepartment of Health and Ageing, NSW Health, Division ofAnalytical Laboratories (DAL) and NSW Department ofFair Trading.Key ActivitiesAudit and verification• The Audit and Verification Unit worked on refining andstandardising the auditing procedures of the Authorityfor licensed high-risk food businesses, particularlyensuring food safety programs are fully implementedand maintained. As a result, there has been a slightincrease in the number of audit failures in some types offood businesses and the level of direct enforcementaction undertaken by the Authority has increasedthroughout the year.• During the past year, resources were allocated tobringing new high-risk industries online. The Audit andVerification Unit provided voluntary advisory audits forbusinesses interested in introducing food safetyprograms into the hospital and aged care sectors.Approximately 300 audits were conducted and, in theprocess, facilities were educated about the auditingprocess and the requirements of a food safety program.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 325

• High-risk plant product facilities were inspected prior tothe regulation coming into force late 2005. Over the pastyear, these businesses received their initial audits.High-risk plant products include seed sprouts, fresh cutfruit and vegetables, unpasteurised juice and vegetablesin oil.• During 2005/06, Audit and Verification Unit staffundertook training to meet the ever-increasing need forimproved skills and to cover new food safety schemes.Staff participated in internal and industry based trainingin auditing the egg industry, vulnerable persons, plantproducts, and wild shellfish sectors. Training alsofocused on improving skills and knowledge inundertaking enforcement action. Currently, staff arefinalising applications to be accredited as Level 4auditors, which covers high-risk food sectors. Oncecompleted, the Authority’s auditors will be one of thefirst group of auditors accredited under the newNational Food Safety Auditors Scheme system inAustralia through Registrar Accreditation Board andQuality Society of Australia.Statistical information on work in this area is provided inCompliance and Enforcement Statistics 2005/06 in Table 1on page 29.Labelling and advertisingThe Authority’s Labelling and Advertising Compliance Unitis responsible for monitoring industry and food retailersfor compliance with the labelling provisions of the FoodStandards Code and the Food Act 2003. The Unit respondsto an average of 20 labelling complaints per monththrough the Consumer and Industry Contact Centre andsurveys segments of the marketplace for compliance withthe legislation.Over the past year, a major area of action has been thejuice bar sector, particularly in relation to illegal healthclaims to promote a ‘healthy food’ image. Significantresources were spent on this area and the juice bar sectoris now largely compliant.Other investigations/surveys included:• a crackdown on the labelling of ‘low-salt‘ and ‘no-salt’products for the accuracy of their sodium contentlabelling, because of the need of some consumers tocontrol their sodium intake;• investigating misleading naming of fruit products,including fruit bars and fruit juices;• undertaking a quarterly survey of food products in themarketplace for the presence of genetically modifiedfoods; and• a Nutrition Information Panel survey, for accuracyof labelling.Compliance and inspectionThis Unit is primarily involved in the investigation ofcomplaints received through the Consumer and IndustryContact Centre and audits/inspections of low-risk licensedfood businesses. Other activities include sampling offoods for compliance with Food Standards Code, providinglegislative direction and advice to the food industry,follow-up on food recalls and supervising the destructionof unsafe food.Areas of focus during the year were illegal use ofpreservatives in raw meat, fish substitution/labelling andgeneral food labelling compliance.Food surveys carried out included:• microbiological quality of pre-packaged sandwiches;• temperature storage of retail chicken meat;• hygiene standards compliance of highway takeawayoutlets; and• a joint hygiene and food labelling survey undertakenwith Sydney City Council.Statistical information on work in this area is provided inTable 1 Compliance and Enforcement Statistics 2005/06on page 29.26

“This service group ensures thesafety and integrity of the NSW foodsupply by monitoring NSW foodindustry compliance with regulatoryrequirements. ”EnforcementThe Authority is responsible for investigation of seriousbreaches of the Australia New Zealand Food StandardsCode, the Food Act 2003 and Regulations and applyingenforcement strategies. A Compliance and EnforcementPolicy has been developed which sets out the policies onenforcement that will facilitate the effective achievementof the regulatory goals of the Food Act 2003. The policycan be viewed on the Authority’s website onwww.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au.Breaches of the Food Act 2003 are classified as criminaloffences and penalties of up to $550,000 and/or two years’imprisonment may apply. As the range of offences underthe Act and Regulations vary greatly in their seriousness,a range of penalties and enforcement options areavailable.Officers conduct investigations which may result inenforcement action where complaints are supported byevidence of breaches of regulatory requirements. Duringthe year, investigations were conducted in all foodsectors. The seafood sector received specific attentionwith a joint Authority-NSW Department of PrimaryIndustries targeted project on blackmarket activity (seecase study on following page).Investigations during 2005/06 resulted in the issuing ofnumerous penalty notices and court proceedings. One ofthe court matters related to consumption of a mislabelledpasta product, in which a woman with a severe nut allergywas hospitalised. The pasta maker was fined a total of$7,500 and ordered to pay $3,500 in legal costs, for failingto declare the presence of walnuts in its pumpkin ravioli.The mislabelling of products is potentially dangerous topeople with severe allergies who could become seriouslyill or even die.Officers successfully enforced the removal of Mars andSnickers bars from sale across NSW. This was a responseto an extortion threat made to the manufacturer,Masterfoods.Statistical information on work in this area is provided inTable 1 Compliance and Enforcement Statistics 2005/06on page 29.Foodborne illness investigationNSW Health and the Authority are jointly responsible forinvestigating outbreaks of foodborne illness.Epidemiological investigation and identification ofpotential food vehicles is undertaken by NSW Health andits public health units. Environmental investigations ofoutbreak settings, including inspection of food premisesand collection/testing of samples, are conducted by theAuthority.Statistics from OzFoodNet estimate that 5.4 millionAustralians suffer foodborne illness each year, resultingin 1.2 million visits to a doctor and 2.1 million days of lostwork. Roughly one-third of this burden is borne by NSWconsumers and the public health system.Recent figures suggest that each case of Salmonella costsan estimated $1,387 per notified case. It is estimated thatfor every notified case there are 15 community cases thatwere not notified. Several investigations were undertakenin NSW in 2005/06, where the source of contaminationwas identified, preventing many more cases ofsalmonellosis and saving in excess of $100,000.In 2005/06, the Authority responded to approximately 427complaints alleging sickness in two or more people. Theinvestigations included:• outbreaks of Salmonella associated with poultry andeggs;• Clostridium perfringens associated with large cateredfunctions and takeaway establishments; and• Listeria in ready-to-eat meats served to vulnerablepersons.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 327

Case Study: Operation Golf India – A Blackmarket Seafood OperationThe Authority and the NSWDepartment of PrimaryIndustries (DPI) completeda joint operation, targetingseafood businesses in NSWto determine complianceand identify blackmarketactivity. From February toMay 2006, 293 seafoodbusinesses were inspectedalong the NSW coast.Restaurants/takeaways,seafood retail premises,wholesalers and processorswere targeted.The Authority and DPIofficers conductedunannounced jointinspections, usingchecklists for consistency.As a result, the Authorityissued 225 warnings, 76improvement notices, 39penalty notices and threeprosecutions were started.Most were for substitutionand labelling matters. TheAuthority found that 27percent of businesses werenot complying with countryof origin labellingrequirements and 39percent were found to besubstituting seafoodproducts. The inspectionsat restaurants andtakeaway food outlets foundwidespread substitution.In 2006/07, the Authoritywill develop an educationprogram and fact sheet onlabelling requirements forthe restaurant andtakeaway industry,containing information onseafood substitution. TheAuthority will undertakefollow-up inspections of allpremises subject toenforcement activity.The Authority also recorded a significant increase in thenumber of Histamine fish poisoning incidents. Thisprompted further survey work and traceback of fish todetermine the cause and significance.The Authority works closely with local government andother state and national food safety agencies incontrolling foodborne illness in Australia.NSW Shellfish ProgramThe NSW Shellfish Program is responsible for theadministration of 37 local estuary programs and 73shellfish harvest areas along the NSW coast. The Programensures that oysters and mussels produced in NSW aresafe for human consumption by implementing theAustralian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program. Thisensures that the Program meets the requirements of thenational Seafood Primary Production and ProcessingStandard and the Australian Quarantine and InspectionService for export-listed areas.The Program monitors designated test sites withinshellfish harvest areas to ensure conditions are suitablefor the harvest of shellfish. When conditions areunsuitable (eg. local rainfall or sewage spills), a harvestarea can be closed. (See Compliance and EnforcementStatistics in Table 1, page 29, for closures conducted in2005/06.)All oyster and mussel harvest areas in NSW, except forfour late starters, have completed the process ofclassification. This involves a comprehensive sanitarysurvey of the area, including a shoreline survey to identifypotential pollution sources that may affect the safety ofshellfish in the area. In areas of excellent water qualityand little potential for pollution, the harvest area may beclassified as ‘Conditionally Approved’, allowing for thedirect harvest of shellfish. Other areas may be classifiedas ‘Conditionally Restricted’, requiring harvested shellfishto be depurated for 36 hours prior to being sold. Areaswith significant pollution problems are classified as‘Prohibited’ for the harvest of shellfish. A program toclassify wild harvest shellfish areas has commenced.Temporary closure of commercial fishingin Sydney HarbourIn November 2005, the Department of Environment andConservation alerted the Authority to elevated levels ofdioxins in prawns. The Department was undertaking aproject on planned remediation work in the HomebushBay area. The results were compared to levels reported inthe National Dioxins Program and to maximum levelsused in the European Union for a range of food products.A decision was made to conduct further testing.28

Table 1: Compliance and Enforcement Statistics 2005/06The Authority undertook a comprehensive analysis ofdioxins in bream and prawn samples from Port Jackson.Food Standards Australia New Zealand undertook adietary exposure assessment of the data, which was putbefore an expert panel of representatives from academiaand government convened by the Authority. The Panel’sconclusion on the basis of the data before it was thatseafood caught in Sydney Harbour/Parramatta Riverposed a significant public health risk and should not beconsumed in the long term and, if consumed, only withdietary restrictions, until further data demonstrated thesafety of the product.ActivityActual Target05/06 06/07Audits 6,568 5,908Failed audits 613 -Inspections 3,865 2,200Failed inspections 171 -Investigations of unlicensed businesses 109 -Complaint investigations 2,719 -Investigations of foodborne diseaseincidents (single case) 602 -Investigations of foodborne diseaseincidents (involving two or more people) 427 -Investigations of food labelling complaints 381 -Improvement notices 730 -Prohibition orders 11 -Product seizures 15 -Show cause notices 0 -Written warning 370 -Licence cancellations 0 -Prosecutions 29 against, 9 defendants -Penalty notices 135 -Mandatory food recalls 0 -Voluntary food recalls (nation-wide) 69 -Voluntary food recalls (NSW manufacturers) 28 -Shellfish harvest area openings 416 -Shellfish harvest area closures 472 -Samples (microbiological and chemical) 600 600Failed samples 53 -The Authority considered that a risk management strategyfor commercial fishing, based on dietary advice alone,would be inappropriate because:• Sydney Harbour fish are not generally marketed as suchso the consumer would not be able to identify the fish towhich the dietary advice applies; and• industry advice was that they would not separatelymarket the contaminated Sydney Harbour/ParramattaRiver fish and prawns.The data and Expert Panel advice aided the Authority toput forth the recommendation that the NSW Governmentimplement a (temporary) closure on commercial fishing inSydney Harbour/Parramatta River. The Minister declaredthe closure, which is effective until 2011.Table 2: Licence Numbers 2005/06Business TypeNumber of Licensed Facilities(eg. Premises, Vehicles and Vessels)Dairy farm 1,031Dairy farm (goat) 13Farm milk collectors 95Milk factories 14Unpasteurised goat milk producers 7Dairy product factories 88Goat dairy product factories 8Red meat abattoir 44Poultry abattoir 42Game meat processing plant 4Meat processing plant 304Animal meat processing plant 24Knackery 7Meat retail premises 1,835Rendering 8Fisher 1,216Oyster farmer 312Seafood processing plant 270Non-shellfish aquaculture 61Plant products processing plant 44Animal food store 51Food store (dairy, meat, poultry, seafood andplant products) 679Food transportation(dairy, meat, poultry, seafood and plant products) 5,307Total number of licensed facilities 11,464NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 329

Service Group 4Communication & Coordinationwith other Government ServicesHighlights• The approval of $1.58 million, after extensiveconsultation by the Authority, for the implementation ofa model to mandate a role for local government in foodregulation in NSW.• Enhancing how the Authority operates on a day-to-daybasis and responds more efficiently to emergencies byestablishing formal Memoranda of Understanding withkey partners – NSW Health and the Department ofPrimary Industries.The underlying purpose of this service group is tomaximise the effectiveness of the Authority’s services bydeveloping and maintaining relationships with similar orcomplementary services provided by local governmentand other NSW, interstate and national agencies. Thisservice group contributes to all five of the lower-levelintermediate results.Key ActivitiesActivities fall into three categories of:1. development and maintenance of broad Memoranda ofUnderstanding (MOUs) or strategic liaisonarrangements with other NSW government agencieshaving complementary and/or overlappingresponsibilities;2. development and maintenance of operationalagreements with Commonwealth or interstateregulatory agencies; and3. coordination with the NSW’s 152 local governmentcouncils, all of which are prescribed ‘enforcementagencies’ under the Food Act 2003.• Memoranda of Understanding are useful to helpstructure the Authority’s relationship with agencies,such as NSW Health and the NSW Department ofPrimary Industries, with whom the Authority routinelyinteracts across a number of areas. A Memorandum ofUnderstanding sets out the responsibilities of eachagency, principles which govern the relationship, thearrangements which will apply for each area ofcooperation or collaboration, and key contacts. Detailedprotocols or procedures may be included in scheduleswhere necessary. Senior-level strategic liaison groupshave been appointed to oversee its operation and dealwith potential issues.• For agencies which have less frequent orcomprehensive dealings with the Authority, such as theOffice of Fair Trading, a less formal strategic liaisonarrangement is sufficient. This may involve seniorofficers meeting occasionally to discuss activities ofmutual interest and agree on common action whereappropriate.• Operational agreements cover more specific regulatoryor other operational cooperation. For example, theAuthority undertakes inspection of some exportregisteredfood businesses on behalf of the AustralianQuarantine and Inspection Service under an operationalagreement.• The NSW Government approved $1.58 million for theimplementation of a model to mandate a role for localgovernment in food regulation in NSW. This followed atwo-year collaboration partnership with localgovernment to develop an agreed Blueprint for themodel. The Authority convened a number of regionalforums on a regular basis with local governmentenvironmental health officers, providing training, andtechnical and regulatory advice.30

“The underlying purpose of thisservice group is to maximise theeffectiveness of the Authority’sservices by developing andmaintaining relationships. ”AchievementsMemoranda of Understanding• Established formal MOU with NSW Health and withNSW Department of Primary Industries.• Scheduled high-level meetings with NSW Health andDepartment of Primary Industries to identify key jointpriority work areas, including emergency managementand bioterrorism, foodborne illness, and consumereducation and health promotion.• Commenced meetings of strategic liaison groups forMOU with NSW Health and Department of PrimaryIndustries to oversee joint priority work area initiatives.• Established an interagency working group to develop awhole-of-government approach to managing pesticideresidues in food. Consisting of officers from theAuthority, Department of Primary Industries andDepartment of Environment and Conservation, the groupmapped the current system, identified gaps andinitiatives to achieve the optimal management ofpesticide residues in NSW.During 2005/06, aMemorandum ofUnderstanding between theAuthority and NSW Healthon their respective rolesand responsibilities wassigned. It will guide futureplanning and development,and provide the frameworkfor future cooperation inachieving the Government’sfood regulation objectives.A number of priority workareas were agreed upon.Key personnel from eachorganisation were identifiedto be responsible fordeveloping joint workprograms and for ensuringthe progress of thoseprograms.These work areas are:• evaluation of foodborneillness investigationOperational Agreements• To assist local oyster farmers, a taskforce within theNSW Premier’s Department was set up to coordinate awhole-of-government response to sewagecontamination of shellfish harvest areas that includedthe Authority, Port Stephens Council, the Department ofPrimary Industries and the NSW Department of Lands.• The Authority’s David Miles was seconded to FoodStandards Australia New Zealand for a period of threemonths to develop a National Food Safety IncidentResponse Protocol.• In July 2005, an operational agreement was made withNSW Police for the recall of all Mars and Snickerschocolate bars following an extortion threat. TheAuthority provided assistance and participated in theregular joint meetings. Over 500 premises wereinspected by Authority officers and 176.84 tons ofproduct were destroyed.Case Study: Enhancing communication with NSW Healthactivities against bestpractice;• forums to discuss issueswith NSW Health andother agencies;• consultation on thedevelopment of nationalpolicies and standards;• collaboration on scientificand technical matters,including consultationand advice;• communication onemergency managementin general andbioterrorism in particular;and• collaboration in consumereducation and healthpromotion.A Strategic Liaison Groupwas established and willoversee the joint prioritywork areas and the variousworking groups.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 431

32Agreements with NSW Department ofPrimary Industries• The Authority and Department of Primary Industriescompleted a joint operation targeting seafood businessin NSW to determine efficacy of traceability and identifyblackmarket activity (see case study on page 28).• The potential use of malachite green in NSWaquaculture facilities is currently being investigated bythe Authority and Department of Primary Industries.Where required, joint communications were issued toaquaculture farmers.Dioxin Expert PanelAn Expert Panel, representing experts from academia andgovernment, was formed to advise on the public healthimpacts of dioxins in seafood from Sydney Harbour.The Panel constituted:Professor Brian Priestly (Chair)Department of Epidemiology and Preventive MedicineMonash UniversityProfessor Michael MooreThe National Research Centre for EnvironmentalToxicology, University of QueenslandMr Jack DempseyAustralian Government Department of Health and AgingMs Tracy HambridgeFood Standards Australia and New ZealandDr Bob Creese and Dr Damian OgburnNSW Department of Primary IndustriesDr Michael Staff and Mr Geoff RichardsNSW HealthMs Therese ManningNSW Department of Environment and ConservationDr Stefan Fabiansson and Dr Lisa SzaboNSW Food AuthorityLocal government support, assistance andcoordination servicesThe NSW Government approved a Blueprint for amandatory role for local councils in food regulation inJune 2006. Leading up to this, the Authority developedtwo-way communication with council environmentalhealth officers to support them in their role.Staff from the Authority:• participated in the quarterly meetings of 16 regionalnetwork groups;• convened a state-wide liaison group;• provided approximately 40 training sessions on a rangeof food regulatory matters (eg. labelling, food complaintinvestigation, temperature control, Food Act seizures);and• established email-based communication of urgentmatters.The Authority and local councils also collaborated on:• establishing a mentoring system for environmentalhealth officers; and• developing a food handler training resource databaseand guidelines to assist food stallholder compliancewith regulatory requirements at temporary events andfacilitate consistency among councils.The Authority's support, assistance and coordinationservices will be greatly enhanced in the coming year bythe establishment of a new Local Government Unit toimplement the Blueprint. A pilot program to determineappropriate interface systems between the Authority andlocal government has already commenced.

Service Group 5Public Information& EducationHighlights• The award of the National Golden Target Award for theAuthority’s Mercury in Fish campaign.• Successfully delivering targeted consumer educationwork on severe food allergies and barbecues.• Continuing recognition for the Authority’s riskcommunication expertise via participation ininternational workshops and the award of a tender toprovide risk communication training to public officialsin Hong Kong.Public information and education is an important meansto achieve the Authority’s objective to ensure the safety ofthe food supply for NSW consumers. The Authority worksto educate consumers about a range of food safety issues.Activities & AchievementsCommunicating with the publicCommunicating the right information to the general publicis of paramount importance. For example, incommunicating about dioxins in seafood from SydneyHarbour it was important to ensure that accurateinformation was provided to the public. All informationwas developed in consultation with the NSW Departmentof Primary Industries and NSW Health, ensuring the rightmessage on food safety and human health was provided.This included answers to frequently asked questions,media releases, a dioxins fact sheet, test results fromSydney Harbour seafood samples, and release of theExpert Panel report.To help strengthen its ability to educate and inform, theAuthority has been developing a business case, includingconsultation with key consumer stakeholder groups, thatwill help it deliver ongoing consumer education programs.Following a lengthy internal discussion, the Authority hasalso taken early steps to reposition its external profile tofocus more on consumers.As in the previous year, the Authority continued to makeuse of editorial opportunities to raise awareness of foodsafety issues while considerable planning took place inthe 2005/06 period on education campaigns to furtherdrive community education and awareness.The Authority’s website is a key resource in supportingpublic information and education, by publishinginformation on specific campaigns.Targeted approach for effectivecommunicationThe Authority has maximised existing resources by takinga targeted approach to identifying high-priority risk areasamong vulnerable persons. The delivery of targeted foodsafety messages has been enhanced by the Authority’srange of partnerships with key stakeholders.“Public information and educationis an important means to achieve theAuthority’s objective to ensure thesafety of the food supply for NSWconsumers. ”NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 533

Case Study: Fiery, Squeaky Clean & ChillyMaking food safety engagingand interesting toconsumers is a majorchallenge faced by theAuthority’s PublicInformation and EducationUnit.To help make food safetymessages moreentertaining and accessible,the Authority developedthree mascots during 2006.Launched at the RoyalEaster Show, the threecharacters help reinforcebasic food safety andhygiene tips.Chilly the Penguinhighlights the need forperishable foods to be keptcool and out of the‘temperature danger zone’.Chilly is joined by Fiery theDragon who lives at theother end of the dangerzone and remindsconsumers to keep warmand heated food steaminghot to prevent the growth ofpotentially dangerous foodpathogens. Squeaky Cleanthe Platypus reinforces theneed for consumers andchildren to thoroughly washtheir hands after handlingraw food and after visitingthe bathroom.Aimed at children, the threecharacters were wellreceived at the Royal EasterShow. Temporary tattoos,featuring Chilly, Fiery andSqueaky Clean, proved a bighit among young showgoers.The three friends will beused by the Authority on anongoing basis to helppromote food safety forchildren.Mercury in fishThe Authority’s mercury in fish education campaign wasawarded the prestigious National Golden Target Award.The Public Relations Institute of Australia awardrecognises excellence, best practice and professionalismin public relations. The judges said the Authority’scampaign was “outstanding in its approach, execution andoutcome”. In 2005, 500,000 wallet cards, summarisingfood safety information, were distributed across morethan 6,000 outlets, including fishmongers, doctors,midwives and dieticians.Easter ShowPublic Information and Education is responsible for theAuthority’s ongoing presence at the Sydney Royal EasterShow. The Authority’s stand once again was in the hightrafficWoolworths Fresh Food Dome, which attractedabout 900,000 visitors during the two-week event. Thestand focused on time and temperature control as well ashand-washing messages, while innovative and educationalinteractive displays proved popular with consumers.Authority staff answered questions about food safety fromthe general public. The Minister for Primary Industries,the Hon. Ian Macdonald, once again participated incelebrity food safety cooking shows. At the Show, theAuthority’s kid’s safe lunch boxes campaign was launched(see page 35) and three new mascots were unveiled (seecase study above).34

Consumer brochuresTwo consumer brochures, Keep it Cool and Food SafetyTips, were produced about time and temperature controland general food safety tips in an easy-to-follow formatfor consumers. The brochures were launched at theEaster Show.Kid’s lunch boxesResearch by the Authority found that up to 40 percent ofNSW children do not have any way of keeping their schoollunches cool and, as a result, are at an increased risk offood poisoning. An education resources page, added tothe Authority’s website, features simple tips on how tokeep school lunches cool. The campaign gainedinternational recognition when it was adopted by theUS Army's Environmental Health Unit.Allergy Awareness WeekCollaboration with stakeholders to drive food safetymessages is integral to the way the Authority works. TheAuthority helped produce an education poster withAnaphylaxis Australia about the risk of severe foodallergies. The poster was launched during Food AllergyAwareness Week in May 2006.Barbecue tipsResearch by the Authority found up to 44 percent ofweekend barbecues carried food poisoning risks, due toserious cross-contamination risks. A simple mediacampaign was launched, promoting a resource page withbarbecue food safety tips on the website. This achievedsignificant media coverage with a total potential audienceof 5.5 million.International risk communicationworkshopsThe risk communication expertise of the Authority’sPublic Information and Education Unit led to invitationsto participate in several World Health Organisationworkshops in late 2005 and early 2006. Riskcommunication workshops were run by Authoritystaff in Switzerland, South Korea and China.Towards the end of 2005, the Authority won a competitiveinternational tender to train Hong Kong food safetyofficials about risk communication and consumerengagement.Research by the Authority found“that up to 40 percent of NSW childrendo not have any way of keeping theirschool lunches cool and, as a result,are at an increased risk of foodpoisoning. ”NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 535

Service Group 6Consumer & IndustryContact CentreHighlights• Responding effectively to a 27 percent growth incommunications volume.• Coordination of a series of stakeholder and consumersurveys.The Consumer and Industry Contact Centre receives andmanages the diverse communications coming into theAuthority. Calls typically received during the day, wouldinclude, for example:• a consumer asking about correct cooking temperaturefor meat;• an owner of a start-up food business inquiring abouttheir food safety obligations;• a consumer, who speaks a language other than English,needing to access a certified telephone interpretingservice;• a retail meat butcher ordering the Authority’s food safetydiary;• a consumer complaining about a foreign object found inpackaged food;• a local government officer requesting specialist advicefrom one of the Authority’s experts;• a licensed shellfish processor inquiring whether aharvest estuary is open;• an owner of an aged care facility inquiring about theintroduction of the new food safety scheme forvulnerable people.“C&ICC receives and manages thediverse communications coming intothe Authority. ”To ensure its effectiveness, the Consumer and IndustryContact Centre is closely integrated into the coreoperations of the Authority. It monitors its service on anongoing basis and resolves as many inquiries as possibleduring the first call. When callers require morespecialised information, Contact Centre staff enlist theassistance of qualified personnel from other areas of theAuthority.Key InitiativesConsumer and Industry Contact Centre:• assisted the Authority’s Shellfish Program receive calls,ensuring that shellfish growers and processors wereprovided with information when they called. The ContactCentre also inputted data results for the water andshellfish meat quality tests.• accompanied the Authority’s authorised officers on fieldinspections and investigations to enhance their foodsafety knowledge and see how information is usedduring investigations.• worked closely with operational field groups. This led tomore effective call handling and a review of the foodcomplaints process to ensure the whole process isefficient, effective and service focussed.• coordinated the data entry for some 3,000 stakeholdersurveys. The surveys were analysed and fed into theAuthority’s positioning and communications work.• aligned its service measures with the Authority’sResults and Services Plan. It has maintained and evenimproved its service levels despite a 27 percent growthin communication volume and taking on additionalactivities.36

Case Study: A single phone call leads to court caseIn 2005, the Consumer andIndustry Contact Centrereceived a telephone reportabout a consumer whoknew they had a severeallergy to nuts. Afterconsuming a pasta productpurchased frozen, whichmade no mention of nutingredients on the label,the consumer quicklysuffered a seriousanaphylactic reaction andhad to be admitted tohospital.The Contact Centrerecorded the incident andproduct in the Authority’scentral complaint system.The report was assigned tothe relevant operationalgroup. An investigation bythe Compliance Unit andEnforcement Unit revealedthat the wrong labels hadbeen applied to the productwhich did contain walnuts.The investigating officersalerted the Authority’sRecall Coordinator and thecompany immediatelyrecalled the affectedproduct. A prosecutionbrief was also prepared bythe Enforcement Unit andaction commenced in theLocal Court.In 2006, the court foundagainst the company andfined them a total of$12,500 for severalmatters, including costs.The Minister for PrimaryIndustries, the Hon. IanMacdonald, issued astatement in May 2006,reminding all NSW foodmanufacturers thatmislabelling of foodproducts is a seriousoffence.Graph 1: C&ICC Calls by geographic origin 2005/06NSW regional 45%NSW Sydney 49%Interstate &overseas 6%Graph 2: C&ICC Complaints/reports received 2005/06Foreignmatter 21%Handling &hygiene 25%Foodborneillness/poisoning 26%Illegal & unlicencedoperations 3%Labelling 9% Product composition 1%Unsafe product 1%DeterioratedUnsuitable product 0%product 14%Other 0%• The Contact Centre sent out wallet cards on pregnancyand mercury in fish as well as safe lunch boxes for kidsmaterials. Fact sheets in English and a number of othercommunity languages were sent out about a number ofcampaigns.• The Authority’s main information web page on dioxinswas downloaded 2,270 times to 30 June 2006 and, whencombined with related pages, dioxin content wasdownloaded 3,700 times. Calls to the Contact Centrefrom members of the public and industry seekinginformation on dioxins peaked during January andFebruary 2006.Graph 3: C&ICC Inbound communicationsvolume (monthly)180016001400120010008006004002000Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun2004-052005-06NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 637

Service Group 7Internal Services- which support delivery of all Service GroupsHighlights• Initiation of the major IT project, called Paddock toPlate, to improve how the Authority carries out allaspects of its business.• The introduction of a Goal Setting, Development andReview System to support staff development andencourage constant dialogue between staff andmanagers.Corporate servicesThe Corporate Services group provides support in thethree key areas of information management, humanresources and administration.Information managementInformation management is critical to the Authority’sability to regulate the 55,000 food businesses across NSW.The Authority has a relational database system calledByte, which is used to manage audit, licensing andinspection data for the 11,464 licensed businesses. Duringthe year, the Paddock to Plate (P2P) project was initiatedto enhance the Byte system to:• manage interactions with the remaining 42,000 foodbusinesses in NSW;• enable electronic service delivery;• provide wireless access for auditors; and• improve access for local government and private sectorauditors.The NSW Government has provided funding for thesystem, which will be developed over the next two years.Risk management strategies are vital for such projects.P2P is working to Information Security 7799 standards,and Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans arebeing developed for the Authority.Human resourcesAs at 30 June 2006, 2 SES Officers and 113 non-SES staffwere provided to the Authority by the Office of the NSWFood Authority.The Authority has a Service Partnership Arrangementwith the Central Corporate Services Unit of the NSWDepartment of Commerce to conduct payroll and leaveprocessing and part of the recruitment process, and anEmployee Assistance Program is facilitated by anindependent external provider.The Authority also has formal consultative arrangementswith the Public Service Association, an agency-specific FoodSafety Officers Award, and flexible working hours agreementsfor field staff and administrative and clerical staff.Table 3: Staff numbers by category in 2005/06Occupation group 2005/06 2004/05 2003/04 2002/03Administration 42 49 37 25Technical/food71 68 68 42safety officersTotal non-SES 113 117 105 67Senior Executive2 4 3 3ServiceTable 4: Staff by EEO groups 2005/06EEO groups in 2005/06NumberTotal staff (non-SES) 113Male 60Female 53Staff who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 1Staff who have a disability 4Staff of racial, ethnic and ethnic-religiousminority groups (REM) 938

Organisational changeThe Authority has a positive approach to change. During2005/06 the Executive and staff developed a MasterChange Plan, which identified nine broad areas of workthat needed completing in the next few years to help usdevelop as an organisation.Moreover, the Authority continued to implement its‘Blueprint for Organisational Change’ strategy to fillpositions in the new organisational structure, in line withgovernment policy and practice. The entire process hasbeen successfully facilitated by the Departmental JointConsultative Committee, comprising management andunion representatives.A Goal Setting, Development and Review System was inplace to focus on individual staff development andencourage a constant dialogue between staff andmanagers. This is to be supplemented by a majororganisation-wide management development program,the Skills for Success Program, which was finalisedduring the past year and will commence in July 2006.Exceptional movements in wages, salariesor allowances in 2005/06On 16 February 2005, the NSW Industrial Commissionmade the Crown Employees (Public Sector – SalariesAward 2004) Award by consent between the PublicEmployment Office and the Public Service andProfessional Officers Association (PSA). The Awardprovided for:• an increase to salaries and related allowances of fourpercent from the first full pay period on or after 1 July2004;• a further increase of four percent from the first full payperiod on or after 1 July 2005; and• four percent from the first full pay period on or after 1July 2006.A Memorandum of Understanding between theGovernment and the Public Service and ProfessionalOfficers Association provided for a further fourpercent increase from the first full pay period on orafter 1 July 2007.The non-salary enhancements agreed to by the partiesregarding maternity leave, paternity leave, and enhancedextended leave provisions were formalised by a variationto the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions ofEmployment) Award.Equal employment opportunity (EEO)The Authority continued to maintain support for theprinciples of equal employment opportunity.Females now comprise 47 percent of the organisationcompared to 36 percent in June 2004. There was asignificant rise in the number of successful femalecandidates for full-time permanent positions with rates ofpay over $97,932.The Departmental Joint Consultative Committee (JCC)continued to successfully monitor the application of anapproved policy and procedure document entitled ‘Blueprintfor Organisational Change’ over the last year as theAuthority’s major restructure was bedded down. The JCCmonitored fair and equitable procedures during the process.A total of 10 female staff attended events, such as theInternational Women’s Day Conference, the Conferencefor Women in the Public Sector, and the Women andLeadership Forum.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 739

Table 5: EEO staff groups by level ($ earnings in 2005/06)LevelTotal staff Female ATSI Staff with REM(non - SES) staff staff a disability staff< $32,606 0 0 0 0 0$32,825 - $42,824 3 2 0 0 0$42,825 - $47,876 5 5 0 1 0$47,877 - $60,583 18 12 1 0 2$60,584 - $78,344 37 20 0 0 1$78,345 - $97,932 41 11 0 3 3> $97,932(non SES) 9 3 0 0 3Total 113 53 1 4 9Arrangements were made for the Skills for Successmanagement development program to commence in July2006 and to include units on ‘Interview and SelectionSkills’; ‘EEO Awareness’, ‘Diversity and Equity’; ‘Grievanceand Dispute Resolution’; and a ‘Fundamentals ofManagement’ unit covering principles of equity inemployment.AdministrationIn addition to providing reception and executive support,the Administration Unit provides all of the officeaccommodation and procurement services for the Authority.Of the Authority’s 115 staff (113 non-SES and 2 SES),around 75 are located in the head office in Newington,with around 40 staff in regional locations across NSW.There are nine regional offices around NSW, most of themare in shared arrangements with the NSW Department ofPrimary Industries. The Authority owns and maintains theNewington Head Office.Table 6: EEO staff groups by employment basis in 2005/06Employment Total staff Female ATSI Staff with REMbasis (non - SES) staff staff a disability staffFull-time 109 49 1 4 9Part-time 4 4 0 0 0Casual 0 0 0 0 0Total 113 53 1 4 9Financial managementFinancial operationsThe Finance Section is responsible for managing all of theAuthority’s financial activities, including those of itssubsidiary entity, the Office of the NSW Food Authority,and subsidiary companies, Milk Marketing (NSW) PtyLimited and Pacific Industry Services Corporation PtyLimited. The role and functions performed in relation tofinancial management include strategic financialplanning, comprising formulation of five-year forwardestimates, coordination of annual budget preparation,liaison with NSW Treasury and preparation of submissions40

A key focus of the Authority in relation to its financial management“and sustainability into the future is the establishment of a secure,appropriate and sustainable funding base for the Authority. ”for government funding, statutory, management andindustry reporting, management and reporting of taxationissues as well as undertaking accounts payable andreceivable functions.A key focus of the Authority in relation to its financialmanagement and sustainability into the future is theestablishment of a secure, appropriate and sustainablefunding base. Other areas of focus include improvingefficiency and effectiveness of its financial processesthrough continuous process review and improvement, andincreased implementation of electronic service delivery andrelated technology with a view to catering for significantincreases in the Authority’s licensee stakeholder numbers.Asset managementAt 30 June 2006, the Authority’s capital asset base totalled$8.8 million, including its head office building atNewington in Sydney and a regional office on the midnorth coast of NSW at Taree as well as various otherassets. The Finance and Licensing Branch undertakescertain asset management functions in relation to theAuthority’s assets, including management of its motorvehicle fleet, maintenance of the Authority’s assetregister, development of its assets management plan andcoordination of its annual stocktake of fixed assets.Policy and Science ServicesThe Policy and Science Branch provides support in:1. strategic issues management2. ministerial liaison3. laboratory management.Strategic issues managementThe Authority’s communication activities are aligned withits strategic issues management. The public, governmentand industry are kept informed of new developments inthe area of food safety.A strategic issues management group (SIM), consisting ofa cross-section of key Authority staff meets at the start ofeach week to review national and internationaldevelopments and to recommend suitable follow-upaction. The SIM chair reports to the Executive teamimmediately after the meeting to allow for promptExecutive decision making as appropriate.Key issues under consideration during 2005/06 included:• the Authority’s response to the detection of dioxin in fishfrom Sydney Harbour; and• the Authority’s contribution to Exercise Eleusis, anational exercise that tested the nation’s ability to copewith an emergency related to avian influenza or bird flu.The Authority also has an internal network of scientists toassist the Chief Scientist in assessing new scientificfindings and its impacts on the Authority’s activities. Inaddition, the Chief Scientist can appoint external expertisewhen necessary (eg. an Expert Panel on dioxins). Otherissues the network discussed include:• chemical contaminants in animal products;• identifying foods that pose a significant risk of causingillness (salmonellosis, listeriosis) in vulnerable persons;• relative risks of storing potentially hazardous foodoutside of temperature control for short defined periods;and• the risk of milk becoming contaminated with Botulinumneurotoxin from dairy cattle clinically diagnosed withbotulism.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Service Group 741

The Authority’s Corporate Services“group provides support in three keyareas - information management, humanresources, and administration. ”Ministerial liaisonThe Authority reports to the Minister for PrimaryIndustries. To ensure that the Minister and the NSWGovernment are provided with accurate and appropriateadvice and information on food regulatory issues, aMinisterial Coordination function, located within the Policyand Science Branch, facilitates communication with theMinister’s Office.The Policy and Science Branch also coordinates advice tothe Minister in relation to his role as Lead Minister forNSW on the Australia and New Zealand Food RegulationMinisterial Council. The Ministerial Council establishesthe policy framework for domestic food standards,considers draft food standards (and may ultimately amendor reject them), and oversees the implementation andenforcement of standards, including the promotion ofconsistency and harmonisation. See also Service Group 1.The Authority contracts NSW Health‘s Division ofAnalytical Laboratories (DAL) at Lidcombe to undertakemost of its food testing as part of a service levelagreement with the Authority. During the year, theAuthority sent:• 2,691 food samples for microbial contaminationanalysis; and• 1,649 food samples for chemical composition orcontamination analysis.To detect dioxins in seafood from Sydney Harbour, theAuthority used the laboratory expertise of the NationalMeasurement Institute to analyse bream and prawnsamples.Laboratory managementRelevant quality laboratory data is essential for theAuthority’s regulatory decisions. The evidence supportingfood regulatory measures, such as assessments of foodfor compliance monitoring, foodborne illness investigationand enforcement, often are first validated in thelaboratory. The Authority requires its laboratories to be:• accredited by the National Association of TestingAuthorities (NATA);• involved in proficiency testing programs; and• using standards set by Standards Australia Ltd.42

Our Other ActivitiesPresentationsFollowing are presentations given by Authority Executiveduring 2005/06.George Davey, Director-General‘What does it take to develop, implement and maintain agold standard food safety programme within a riskmanagement framework?', Food Hotel Asia 2006 - FoodSafety Forum, Singapore, 26 April 2006.‘Food standards regulation within a risk analysisframework’, Australia China Food Safety Workshop,Hobart, 1-2 May 2006.Terry Outtrim, Executive Director Operations‘Profitability and food safety costs’, NSW Farmers oystergrowers, Sydney, 18 July 2005.‘The grower’s role and responsibility in the poultry foodsafety chain’, NSW Farmers chicken meat members,Sydney, 18 July 2005.‘Keeping the faith – truth in labelling’, Seafood DirectionsConference 2005, Sydney, 13 September 2005.‘The NSW Food Authority and local government’,Australian Institute of Environmental Health, Griffith, 27October 2005.‘Meat Industry Consultative Council, meat industry levyand NSW Food Authority’, Rural Lands Protection BoardsRegional Conferences, Inverell, 8 March 2006, Maitland,10 March 2006, Bourke, 16 March 2006, Gundagai, 23March 2006, Molong, 31 March 2006, Young, 5 April 2006.‘Update State Conference on the outcomes of RegionalRLPB Conference presentations’, Rural Lands ProtectionBoard State Conference, Narrabri, 22 June 2006.Craig Sahlin, Executive Director Policy and Science‘Where the NSW Food Authority is at today and its visionfor the future’, Queensland Food Safety AdvisoryCommittee, Brisbane, 26 April 2006.‘A healthy fish message for mums to be… NSW FoodAuthority mercury in fish campaign’, 15th Session of theQuadrilateral Discussions on Food Safety - RiskCommunication breakout, Santa Fe, 27 March 2006.Lisa Szabo, Chief Scientist Policy and Science‘Dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs: A case study in riskanalysis’, University of NSW Seminar series, Sydney, 17March 2006.‘Dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs: A case study in riskanalysis’, Australia China Food Safety Workshop, Hobart,1-2 May 2006.Samara Kitchener, Executive Director Consumer andCorporate Services‘Mercury in fish: Using targeted consumer advice as a riskmanagement tool’, 6th World Congress on Seafood Safety,Quality and Trade, Sydney, 15 September 2005.‘Communication, communication, communication!’,University of NSW Guest Lecture Series, Sydney, 17October 2005.‘Mercury in fish: Using targeted consumer advice as a riskmanagement tool’, World Health Organisation workshopof the Application of Risk Communication to MethylMercury in Fish, Geneva, 12 January 2006.‘A healthy fish message for mums to be… NSW FoodAuthority mercury in fish campaign’, Public RelationsInstitute Australia Mini Conference of award winningcampaigns, Sydney, 31 January 2006.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities43

‘Reaching out – targeting community/cultural audiences’,AIFST 12th Australian Food Microbiology Conference,Sydney, 21 February 2006.‘NSW Food Authority mercury in fish campaign – engagingthe public effectively in community education campaigns’,16th Annual Public Affairs in the Public SectorConference, Sydney, 27 March 2006.Presentations by Authority staff at international eventsMichael Apollonov(with Bill Porter) ‘Seafood labelling workshop’, WorldCongress on Seafood Safety, Quality and Trade, Sydney, 11September 2005.Chris Chan‘Risk profile of Asian duck egg products sold in Australia’,AIFST International Risk Assessment Conference, Sydney,21 February 2006.Michelle Keygan(with Peter Sutherland) ‘Development and implementationof risk management strategies for food safety programs inNSW’, AIFST 12th Australian Food MicrobiologyConference, Sydney, 21 February 2006.Catrin May‘Use of risk analysis to improve consumer food safety:Risk communications’, WHO Risk Management Workshop,Seoul, 1–3 February 2006.Bill Porter(with Michael Apollonov) ‘Seafood labelling workshop’,World Congress on Seafood Safety, Quality and Trade,Sydney, 11 September 2005.Peter Sutherland‘The Australian perspective on assuring safe imported anddomestically manufactured cheeses’, InternationalAssociation of Food Protection Annual Conference,Baltimore, 14 August 2005.(with Michelle Keygan) ‘Development and implementationof risk management strategies for food safety programs inNSW’, AIFST 12th Australian Food MicrobiologyConference, Sydney, 21 February 2006.Papers published• Bass, C. and Miller, J. (2006) ‘The NSW Food Authorityplant products food safety scheme – an initialbenchmark study’, NSW Food Authority, Sydney.• Bird, P. Soenario, T. and Sutherland, P. (2006) ‘Foodsafety survey of retail doner kebabs in NSW’, NSW FoodAuthority, Sydney.• Davey, G. (2006) ‘Realising a dream – the creation ofAustralia’s first through-chain food regulatory authority’,Food Australia 58 (1, 2), January/February 2006, pp.22–27.• Ray, A. (2006) ‘NSW next in line with food safetyscheme’, National Healthcare Journal, February/March2006, pp. 40.Industry publications• Foodwise – Issue 1 December 2005,Issue 2 March 2006, Issue 3 June 2006• Your Meat Industry Levy brochure44

New Industry fact sheets• Seafood Labelling• General Labelling Requirements• Country of Origin Labelling Requirements• Auditing in the Food Industry• Controlling Histamine Fish Poisoning• Retail Handling of Live Unopened Shellfish• Australian Fish Names List• Food Allergies and Intolerances• Labelling Requirements – Date Marking andStorage Conditions• Labelling Requirements for Unpackaged Seafood• Use of Non-Reticulated Water in Food Businesses• Manufacturing/Selling Sushi and Sashimi• Single Food LicenceGeneral circulars• Rinsing of oysters during opening• Testing requirements for businesses farmingand opening oystersConsultantsTable 7: Consultancies in 2005/06Consultants - 2005/2006 Financial YearBase Amt Description$32,000.00 AMH OH&S Services$34,500.00 CSIRO Corporate Finance$91,500.00 Doll Martin Associates$41,000.00 Loop Technology Pty LtdDetails of consultants engaged costing $30,000 or more.Consultants engaged below $30,000 in cost:• total number – 11• total cost – $66,433.Research and developmentScience has an important role to play in delivering theAuthority’s mission by contributing to decisionsconcerning food safety and suitability, industry innovation,food security, consumer and industry education. We gainaccess to this science through published peer-reviewedliterature, consulting scientific experts, and, wherescientific evidence is unavailable or is uncertain, wegenerate the required information through research andsurvey programs.• The Authority is an active participant in the AustraliaNew Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council’sImplementation Sub-Committee’s coordinated foodsurvey plan. This initiative provides a process by whichfood surveys are coordinated, and information sharedbetween the jurisdictions and Food Standards AustraliaNew Zealand (FSANZ) to enhance the evidence base forfood standards setting.This financial year, the Authority jointly led andcompleted with South Australia one national survey(Chicken Meat Retail Microbiological Baseline Survey),secured broad jurisdictional collaboration for two othersurveys to be led by the Authority, and agreed tocollaborate in four surveys proposed by otherjurisdictions.• Surveys conducted throughout the year enhanced theevidence base for NSW food regulations. Surveys onred-meat abattoirs and high-risk plant products wereconducted.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities45

• The Authority initiated a pilot project of sharingSalmonella information with a poultry company andNSW Health that includes the routine exchange ofinformation, pathogen management and the setting offood safety objectives in poultry processing, anddevelopment of rapid test methods for detection.• The Authority has added its support to a National Healthand Medical Research funding application from theInstitute of Clinical Pathology & Medical Research atWestmead Hospital NSW to investigate Salmonella.• With the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellenceand the South Australian Research and DevelopmentInstitute, the Authority developed a national priorityclassification system to sort food businesses into riskcategories according to the food safety risk.• As a strategic goal, the Authority is striving towardsreducing the incidence of foodborne illness in NSW.The Authority is undertaking a study for theCommonwealth Department of Health and Ageing to:- estimate the burden of gastroenteritis in the communityand aged care institutions;- revise previous estimates of the incidence of foodbornegastroenteritis; and- collect a national register of people who would act asepidemiological ‘controls’ during outbreakinvestigations.Overseas visits by Authority staff in2005/06• Peter Sutherland (10-20 August 2005) to Baltimore, USAto present paper at the International Association forFood Protection 92nd Annual Convention - travelreimbursed by organising committee• George Davey (17-22 September 2005) to Vancouver,Canada to attend the International Dairy Federationmeeting - reimbursed by Milk Marketing• Edwina Mulhearn (3-7 October 2005) to Christchurch,New Zealand to attend the Australia New Zealand DairyAuthorities Committee 15th annual meeting• Chris Chan (3-7 October 2005) to Christchurch, NewZealand to attend the Australia New Zealand DairyAuthorities Committee 15th annual meeting• George Davey (10-13 October 2005) to Wellington, NewZealand to visit New Zealand Food Safety Authority andattend Food Safety for New Zealand and InternationalConsumers Conference• Terry Outtrim (10-14 October 2005) to Wellington, NewZealand to visit New Zealand Food Safety Authority andattend Food Safety for New Zealand and InternationalConsumers Conference• Samara Kitchener (11-21 December 2005) to Canton andBeijing, China to present workshops - reimbursed byWHO• Samara Kitchener (9-20 January 2006) to Switzerland,United Kingdom and Ireland to present series ofworkshops and liaise with food safety agencies -reimbursed by WHO• Catrin May (30 January-6 February 2006) to Seoul, Koreato present workshops - reimbursed by WHO• Craig Sahlin (24 March-9 April 2006) to Los Angeles,Albuquerque, Chicago, London, Belfast, Dublin,Singapore to attend the 15th Session of the Food SafetyQuadrilaterals in Santa Fe and to visit food safetyagencies• George Davey (24-27 April 2006) to Singapore to presentpaper to Food and Hotel Asia (Singapore) Conference -reimbursed by APO Singapore• George Davey (10-19 May 2006) to Chicago and NewOrleans, USA to attend the International DairyFederation meeting - reimbursed by Milk Marketing46

Guarantee of serviceThe Authority has established internal control processesdesigned to provide reasonable assurance regarding theachievement of its objectives. The internal audit functionconducts a program of review to assess these controls.The Authority is committed to delivering appropriate,effective and quality services to its stakeholders.Risk management and insurance activitiesThe Authority is a member of the NSW Treasury ManagedFund which is a self-insurance arrangement for NSWgovernment agencies. The Authority is fully covered underNSW legislation and is committed to using riskmanagement principles to minimise risk exposure andpremium costs. The management of risk has been a keyconsideration in the development of the Authority'sstrategic plan and issue management is carried out aspart of its routine operation. The Authority has a tapebackup scheduled for IT servers in place. Tapes are storedoffsite at the Government Records Repository to enablerestoration of lost data from backup. A disaster recoverybuild is in place for all servers.Disclosure of controlled entitiesThe Office of the NSW Food Authority is a Division of theGovernment Service, established under the Public SectorEmployment and Management Act 2002. It is a not-forprofitentity. It is consolidated as part of the NSW TotalState Sector Accounts. It is domiciled in Australia and itsprincipal office is at the Authority, 6 Avenue of theAmericas, Newington NSW 2127. The Office of the NSWFood Authority’s objective is to provide personnel servicesto the NSW Food Authority. The Office of the Authoritycommenced operations on 17 March 2006, when itassumed responsibility for the employees and employeerelated liabilities of the Authority. The assumed liabilitieswere recognised on 17 March 2006, together with anoffsetting receivable, representing the related funding duefrom the former employer.The Authority's interest in Pacific Industry ServicesCorporation (PISC) Pty Limited, a subsidiary company ofthe former SafeFood NSW which undertook laboratoryanalyses, was sold in 2001/02 to Silliker-bioMérioux Corp(USA). PISC will be wound up during 2006/07.Milk Marketing (NSW) Pty Limited has continued tofunction in a limited framework of assistance to the dairyindustry. At meetings during 2005/06, it developed policiesto promote the quality of NSW milk and the quality andsafety of milk and dairy foods. During the year, thecompany provided financial support to the annualconference of the NSW Division of the Dairy IndustryAssociation of Australia.Through its liaison with the International Dairy Federationand other international contacts, it is now part of aninternational network. The company receives regularreports on emerging issues which may have an effect onthe NSW dairy industry. It develops strategies for themanagement of issues and crises, such as theexperiences in the UK with Bovine spongiformencephalopathy, foot and mouth disease, Mycobacteriumparatuberculosis as well as issues such as A2 milk,obesity and animal welfare.The company has developed systems for disseminatinginformation on emerging issues to stakeholders andopinion leaders. The board of the company, appointed bythe Minister, comprises George Davey, Director-Generalof the NSW Food Authority (Chair) and Robert Grey,representing the dairy industry.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities47

Ethnic affairs priorities statement (EAPS)This statement confirms the Authority’s ongoingcommitment to the NSW Charter of Principles for aCulturally Diverse Society and reflects how services andfacilities are accessible to the NSW community. TheAuthority’s programs incorporate the ethnic diversity ofthe NSW food industry and NSW consumers, and servicethose from culturally and linguistically diversebackgrounds.This assists industry in two ways: firstly by ensuringaccess to the Authority’s consultation, regulatoryprograms and advisory services to all food industryparticipants, and, secondly, by taking ethnic methods offood preparation into account when designing regulatoryprograms.The Authority takes its commitment to improve accessand communication with ethnic communities seriouslyand has developed a range of consumer and industry factsheets on a range of food issues. Several of these aretargeted at particular communities and address their ownunique food issues. Fact sheets have been translated intoa number of languages, including Arabic, Turkish,Chinese, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean and Spanish.The Consumer and Industry Contact Centre and field staffmake use of an accredited interpreter service toaccommodate callers who speak languages other thanEnglish.Public media statements are distributed to multiculturalpress. In the longer term, consumer information andeducation programs will be developed taking the specificneeds of different communities into account. All residentsof NSW have access to the Authority’s services. The needsof the community and industry will be met professionally,equitably and appropriately.Ethnic affairs action planTo implement the Ethnic Affairs Priority Statement, theAuthority will:• identify ethnic groups within each industry goingthrough a food safety scheme development process anddetermine the best way of involving those groups thoughthe consultation process;• take ethnic/traditional methods of food preparation intoaccount when considering risk management options forparticular food products;• translate key fact sheets of relevance to particularcommunities;• provide access to a translation service for the Consumerand Industry Contact Centre;• target ethnic media with relevant press releases throughthe Community Relations Commission ethnic mediacontacts; and• take the needs of people from culturally andlinguistically diverse backgrounds into account whendeveloping consumer information and educationprogram proposals.NSW Government action plan for womenAlthough the Government’s formal action plan for womencame to a conclusion in 1999, the Authority continues toencourage the career development of women in theagency, particularly in the food safety officer classificationwhere they have traditionally been under-represented.Occupational health and safety (OH&S)The Authority is committed to ensuring the health, safety andwelfare at work of all its employees and operates a dedicatedOccupational Health and Safety Committee. The Authorityhas continued with the development of its occupational healthand safety management system with the assistance of aconsultant. The process has so far involved a review ofpolicies and practices, focus group workshops, thedevelopment of a new incident report form, and training for48

Committee members, managers and supervisors. TheAuthority will finalise the system in 2006/07.Motor vehicle accidents and dealing with hostile clientshave been identified as major risks of injury to staff. Thismainly affects field officers and frontline staff at the Tareeoffice and reception at Newington. The Authorityconducted ‘Defensive Driver‘ training for all field staff andother staff who use agency vehicles and arrangementsare being made to conduct refresher training for ‘Dealingwith Aggressive and Potentially Violent Behaviour‘ for allfield staff and frontline staff in October 2006.There are protocols in place for Operations Branch stafffor dealing with potentially violent behaviour, including aMemorandum of Understanding with NSW Police, and asystem for flagging potential hazards on the BYTEinformation technology system.The Authority also made arrangements for influenzavaccinations during the year.Waste reductionThe Authority operates in accordance with the NSWGovernment Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy (WRAPP).Details are reported to the Department of Environment andConservation on a bi-annual basis, due in August 2007.The Authority policy continued to reduce waste byincreasing recycling and purchasing recycled contentproducts where possible. Recycling bins have increasedand continue to be distributed throughout Authorityoffices, including specialised bins for secure documents,which are then shredded prior to recycling. Used tonercartridges are also recycled where possible. All copypaper purchased has a minimum 50 percent recycledcontent and remanufactured laser printer and fax tonercartridges are purchased when available.Initiatives for waste reduction have included the increaseduse of electronic documents in place of paper copies,including email, e-newsletters and electronic recordkeeping. Double-sided printing and copying is also usedwhere appropriate.Code of conductThe Authority is committed to meeting the expectations ofthe community to conduct its work with efficiency,economy, fairness, impartiality and integrity. Theseprinciples are inherent in the Authority’s Code of Conduct.Annual report productionThe NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/06 cost$24,350 + GST to produce 1,000 printed copies. The NSWFood Authority Annual Report 2005/06 is available for freedownload from www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au.Performance and numbers of executiveofficersThe NSW Food Authority recorded the following details onperformance and numbers of senior managers for 2005/06:Mr George DaveyB Sc (Honours), M Sc (Food Technology) Director-General,SES Level 6 Remuneration package $267,263 per annum(includes employment benefits of $15,968)Table 8: Senior Management for 2005/062005/6 2004/05 2003/04Total SES positions 3 4 4CEO level 6 1 1 1SES level 3 2 2 2SES level 1 1 1Female SES 0 0 0Mr Davey has been Director-General of the NSW FoodAuthority since its establishment in April 2004, and wasChief Executive Officer of the former SafeFood ProductionNSW since establishment in 1999. Mr Davey has aperformance agreement with the NSW Minister forPrimary Industries and a five-year contract ofNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities49

employment was completed on 15 October 2004.Under Mr Davey's continued leadership, the Authority hasmade considerable progress safeguarding food safety acrossNSW as outlined in this and previous years’ annual reports.Key areas of progress include the successful agreementin-principle by the Cabinet of the Authority’s model forworking with local government, and subsequent approvalof a separate business case and funding of $1.58m for thefirst year of the Local Government Interface Program.A Consolidated Food Safety Scheme was introduced inSeptember 2005 which covers all industry sectors withfood safety scheme requirements in a consistent manner.An Implementation Assist program for Food Service tovulnerable persons was also initiated during 2005/06.Ongoing efforts to develop the Authority’s consumereducation function were recognised by the conferment of aGolden Target award by the Public Relations Institute ofAustralia for a campaign on mercury in fish. Considerableprogress has been made on supporting the development ofthe Authority’s staff through the introduction of aperformance management and development system andplans to introduce a Workforce Development program from1 July 2006. Finally, there were no reported outbreaks offood-borne illness due to systems failures by the Authority.Freedom of Information (FOI)All policy documents of the Authority are listed in theGovernment Gazette in the Summary of Affairs, asrequired under the Freedom of Information Act 1989.These documents are available for inspection at the Authorityand are either available for purchase or free of charge.Information about these policy documents can be obtainedthrough the Consumer and Industry Contact Centre.Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pmPhone: 1300 552 406Fax: (02) 9647 0026Email: contact@foodauthority.nsw.gov.auA request to access documents or amend a recordconcerning an individual’s personal affairs may be made bycompleting the application form which is found on thewebsite www.premiers.nsw.gov.au and submitting the formtogether with a cheque for $30 for the application fee to:The FOI OfficerNSW Food AuthorityPO Box 6682 Silverwater NSW 1811Applications will be assessed in accordance with theprovisions of the Freedom of Information Act.During 2005/06, the Authority received 18 new requestsfor documents under the Act compared with one in2004/05. This increase is believed to be due to:1. the Authority’s growing profile as the first and onlyAustralian through-chain food agency with increasedmedia and public interest in ‘food related’ matters; and2. the increasing awareness of the rights of access underfreedom of information legislation.No applications were carried over from the 2004/05reporting period. Of the 16 applications completed, sixwere of a personal nature.No applications were received for an internal review of adetermination or for an amendment or notation ofrecords. No Ministerial certificates were issued.Processing freedom of information requests during2005/06 cost an estimated $8,250, which was partly offsetby a total of $480 received in fees and charges. Theannual operating cost to the Authority was approximately$56,000, comprising the salary and general administrationof operating resources.This statistical summary is set out in accordance with theprovisions of the Freedom of Information Act, theFreedom of Information Regulation 2005 and thePremier’s Department Freedom of InformationProcedures Manual. Statistics for the previous financialyear appear in brackets.50

Table 9: Freedom of Information StatisticsFreedom of Information (FOI) StatisticsSECTION A – NUMBER OF FOI REQUESTS Personal Other TotalA1 New (including transferred in ) 6 (0) 12 (1) 18 (1)A2 Brought forward 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)A3 Total to be processed 6 (0) 12 (1) 18 (1)A4 Completed 6 (0) 10 (1) 16 (1)A5 Transferred out 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)A6 Withdrawn 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)A7 Total processed 6 (0) 10 (1) 16 (1)A8 Unfinished (carried forward) 0 (0) 2 (0) 2 (0)SECTION B – RESULTS OF FOI REQUESTS Personal Other TotalB1 Granted in full 2 (0) 4 (0) 6 (0)B2 Granted in part 4 (0) 4 (1) 8 (1)B3 Refused 0 (0) 2 (0) 2 (0)B4 Deferred 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)B5 Completed 6 (0) 10 (1) 16 (1)SECTION C – MINISTERIAL CERTIFICATES Personal Other TotalC1 Number of Ministerial Certificates issued 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)SECTION D – THIRD PARTY CONSULTATIONS Personal Other TotalD1 Number of requests requiring formal consultation 5 (0) 6 (1) 11 (1)SECTION E – AMENDMENT OF PERSONAL RECORDS Personal Other TotalE1 Result of amendment - agreed 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)E2 Result of amendment - refused 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)E3 Total 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)SECTION F – NOTATION OF PERSONAL RECORDS Personal Other TotalF1 Number of Requests for notation 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)SECTION G – BASIS OF DISALLOWING OR RESTRICTING ACCESS Personal Other TotalG1 Section 19 – application incomplete 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G2 Section 22 (3) - deposit not paid 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G3 Section 22 (1) – unreasonable diversion of resources 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G4 Section 25 (1) (a) – exempt 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 (0)G5 Section 25 (1) (b) (c) (d) – otherwise available 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G6 Section 28 (1) – documents not held 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 (0)G7 Section 24 (2) – deemed refused over 21 days 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G8 Section 31 (4) released to medical practitioner 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)G9 Total 0 (0) 2 (0) 2 (0)NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities51

Freedom of Information (FOI) Statistics (continued...)SECTION H – REQUEST COSTS Fees Received Assessed CostsH1 All completed requests 480 (30) 8250 (-)SECTION I - DISCOUNTS ALLOWED Personal OtherI1 Public interest 0 (0) 0 (0)I2 Financial hardship – Pensioner/Child 0 (0) 0 (0)I3 Financial hardship – non profit organisation 0 (0) 0 (0)I4 Total 0 (0) 0 (0)I5 Significant correction of personal records 0 (0) 0 (0)SECTION J – DAYS TO PROCESS Personal Other TotalJ1 0 – 21 days 1 (0) 5 (1) 6 (1)J2 22 – 35 days 4 (0) 5 (0) 9 (0)J3 Over 35 days 1 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0)J4 Total 6 (0) 10 (1) 16 (1)SECTION K – PROCESSING TIME Personal Other TotalK1 0 – 10 hours 1 (0) 5 (0) 6 (0)K2 11 – 20 hours 3 (0) 2 (0) 5 (0)K3 21 – 40 hours 1 (0) 2 (0) 3 (0)K4 Over 40 hours 1 (0) 1 (0) 2 (0)K5 Total 6 (0) 10 (0) 16 (0)SECTION L – REVIEWS AND APPEALS Personal Other TotalL1 Number of internal reviews finalised 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L2 Number of Ombudsman reviews finalised 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L3 Number of District Court appeals finalised 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)GROUNDS ON WHICH INTERNAL REVIEW REQUESTED Personal OtherDecision Upheld Decision Varied Decision Upheld Decision VariedL4 Access refused 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L5 Deferred 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L6 Exempt matter 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L7 Unreasonable charges 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L8 Charges unreasonably incurred 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L9 Amendment refused 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)L10 Totals 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)52

Privacy managementThe Food Act 2003 imposes particular obligations onAuthority officers in relation to the non-disclosure ofcertain confidential information obtained in the course oftheir duties. In the collection, disclosure and use ofpersonal information, the Authority is governed by theprovisions of the Privacy and Personal Information Act1998 and, if the personal information contains informationor an opinion about an individual’s health or disability,then the provisions of the Health Records and InformationPrivacy Act 2002 also apply.Authority will endeavour to reduce energy consumption inbuildings and its vehicle fleet.An accredited ABGR rating for the head office building inNewington will be undertaken in the next financial year.PerformanceTable 10: Major energy fuels purchased in 2005/06CarbonTotal % of TotalAnnualDioxide(CO 2)Fuel Energy EnergyCostGreenhouseConsumedExemissions(GJ)GST(tonnes)In 2005/06, the Authority engaged a consultant toundertake a review of the Authority’s adherence to theinformation protection principles with a view to revisingthe Authority’s Privacy Management Plan.Energy performanceThe Authority is committed to minimise its impact on theenvironment by:• achieving energy savings;• incorporating sustainable energy managementpractices where cost effective;• using whole-of government energy contracts to achievecost savings;• purchasing Greenpower to reduce greenhousegas emissions; and• undertaking Australian Building Greenhouse Ratings(ABGR) for office buildings.Electricity supply to Authority offices is progressivelybeing transferred to State Contract Control Boardelectricity contracts C777 and C776 and that will includethe purchase of 6% Greenpower.PlanningAccountability and responsibility for energy managementhas been established by the nomination of an EnergyManager and Energy Coordinator. Where feasible, theElectricity 2,182.5 59.2 $76,869 579.7Unleaded Petrol 6,044.1 40.8 $196,148 398.9Total 8,226.6 100.0 $273,017 978.6Between 2004/05 and 2005/06, there was a 50 percentincrease in electricity consumption, resulting from theinitial settling in period at the new head office atNewington, compounded by the accuracy of energyconsumption estimated by Energy Australia as the meterswere not read regularly. However, there has been a 22percent decrease in petrol consumption for the vehiclefleet. The reduced petrol consumption is mainly due todownsizing of a majority of vehicles from six- to fourcylinderengines and reduction in distance travelled. Totalenergy cost increased by eight percent during this period,mainly due to the reasons above and higher petrol cost.Future directionThe Energy Management Plan includes the Authority’spolicy directions, monitoring targeting and reportingmechanisms and energy management strategies.Downsizing of vehicles fleet to use four-cylinder cars andshorter journeys will be reinforced, and upgrading ofoffice equipment to more energy efficient models are highpriorities.NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Other Activities53

Our CommitteesThe Authority is represented on several international andnational bodies and officers participate in numerousworking groups and committees associated with thenational food regulatory system.• Australia New Zealand Dairy Authorities StandardsCommittee (represented by Chris Chan)• Australian Food and Grocery Council Allergen LabellingForum (represented by Bill Porter)• Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology Inc,Food Microbiology Group (represented by EdwardJansson, David Miles and Rod McCarthy)• Australian Institute of Food Science and TechnologyOrganising Committee for the 12th Australian FoodMicrobiology Conference & 2nd International Conferenceon Microbial Risk Assessment: Foodborne Hazards(represented by Edward Jansson, co-chair)• Australian Institute of Food Science and TechnologyTechnical Committee for the 38th Annual AIFSTConvention (represented by David Miles)• Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance AdvisoryCommittee (represented by Anthony Zammit)• Beijing Olympics Expert Board on Food Safety(represented by George Davey)• Foodborne and other enteric diseases portfolio (FEDS)(represented by Craig Shadbolt and Marianne Tegel)• Food Communicators Group (represented by Catrin May)• Food Regulation Standing Committee (FRSC)(represented by George Davey)• Food Regulation Standing Committee ImplementationSub-Committee (ISC) (represented by George Davey andCraig Sahlin)• Food Regulation Standing Committee Working Groups:- Agricultural and veterinary chemical residues in food(represented by Chris Chan)- Monitoring and Surveillance of antibiotic resistance.(represented by Stefan Fabiansson/Lisa Szabo)- Principles and protocols (represented by Lisa Lake)• Food Regulation Standing Committee, ImplementationSub-Committee Working Groups:- Audit (represented by Edward Kraa)- Carbon monoxide in fish and fish products (representedby Lisa Szabo and Edward Jansson)- Chemicals Response Plan (represented by Lisa Szabo)- Consistent implementation (overarching strategy)(represented by Craig Sahlin)- Enforcement Policy (represented by Edward Kraa andChristine Tumney)- Food Medicine (represented by Michael Apollonov)- Food Safety Management (represented by Kelly Collins)- Health Claims Watchdog (represented by PeterSutherland)- Incident Response Plan (represented by Chris Chan)- Seafood Primary Production and Processing StandardImplementation (represented by Edward Jansson)- Surveys (represented by Lisa Szabo)• Food Safety Information Council (represented by CatrinMay)• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)Standard Development/ImplementationCommittees/Working Groups:- Dairy (represented by Chris Chan)- Food safety programs for catering (represented by KarenKrist)- Food safety programs for food service to vulnerablepersons (represented by Catherine Bass)- Interpretive Guides for Standard 3.2.1 and Standard 4.2.1(represented by Chris Chan and Catherine Bass)- Mercury in fish (represented by Chris Chan/EdwardJansson)- Poultry (represented by Stefan Fabiansson/David Miles)- Processing aids (represented by Bill Porter)- P289 Manufactured & Fermented Meat Advisory Group(represented by Christine Tumney)• Industry Compliance Committee of Australian FruitJuice Association (represented by Bill Porter)54

• International Dairy Federation Program CoordinatingCommittee (represented by George Davey)• International Dairy Federation Standing Committee onMarketing (represented by George Davey, Deputy Chair)• International Dairy Federation Standing Committee onPhysico-chemical Methods of Analysis: QualityAssurance, Statistics of Analytical Data, Sampling andRisk Assessment of Residues and Contaminants(represented by Chris Chan)• International Milk Promotion Group (represented byGeorge Davey, President)• Meat Industry Consultative Council (represented byGeorge Davey and Terry Outtrim)• Meat Standards Committee (represented by Peter Day)• National Association of Testing Authorities, BiologicalAccreditation Advisory Committee (represented byGeorge Davey, Chair, and Lisa Szabo)• National Livestock Identification System AdvisoryCommittee (represented by Peter Day)• NSW Dairy Industry Conference (represented by TerryOuttrim – ex-officio member)• NSW Health Anaphylaxis Working Party (represented byBill Porter)• NSW Health Regulators Forum (represented by BillPorter)• NSW Interagency Advisory Committee on GeneTechnology (represented by Craig Sahlin and ChrisChan/Lisa Szabo)• NSW Meat Chemical Residue Consultative Committee(represented by Peter Day)• NSW Nutrition Network (represented by Catrin May)• NSW Seafood Industry Conference (represented byGeorge Davey and Terry Outtrim)• Poultry & Egg Industries Committee (represented byGeorge Davey and Terry Outtrim)• Standards Australia Health and Food Sector Board(represented by George Davey, Chair)• Standards Australia New Zealand Joint StandardsDevelopment Board (represented by George Davey)• Standards Australia Committees:- FT-024 - Food Products (represented by George Davey,Chair)- FT-024-05 - Dairy Products (represented by Chris Chan)- FT-024-00-01 - Food Microbiology (represented byGeorge Davey, Chair and Chris Chan/Catherine Bass)- FT/21 Committee - Meat for Human and AnimalConsumption (represented by Peter Day)- FT/25 Committee – Detergents and Sanitisers in theFood Industry (represented by David Miles)• Interagency Committee on MRL Setting (represented byChris Chan/Edward Jansson)NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Committees55

Our FutureJune 2007 MilestonesThe Authority has developed a three-year Strategic Plan(2006/09) which clearly outlines the Authority’s goals andobjectives.The strategic plan identifies 11 milestones which shouldbe achieved by June 2007 to enable the Authority to reachits goals set for 2009. These June 2007 Milestones are theAuthority’s strategic priorities for the coming 12 months.1 Baseline level of foodborne illness inNSW established2 Transition to approved auditor system underway3 Local Government framework implemented4 Agency repositioned to support new partnershipmodel (internal culture)5 Scheme evaluation program implemented6 Consumer education business case funded7 New & long-term science strategy developed8 Workforce development program commenced9 Information management infrastructure developed10 Options for alternative funding sources scoped11 Results and Services Plan operational56

2007 Scorecard 2009 Outcomes• Decrease of the foodborne illness trend• % decrease in illness due to targeted pathogensReduced Foodborne Illness• % of audit program undertaken by Authority-approved external auditors• % of councils undertaking Category B or C food regulatory work• % of councils participating in the regional forumsLocal Councils & Approved AuditorsAre Partners In Food Regulation• Average rating score for audited/inspected businesses• Average inspection rating for unlicensed businesses• % of products surveyed that comply with labelling regulationsFood Industry ProducesSafe & Correctly Labelled Food• % of consumers aware of hygienic food handling• % of consumers who know how to interpret a food labelEmpowered ConsumersManage Food Safety Risks• Authority advice/information included in media coverage of allmajor food safety issues• % of advice-seeking calls to Consumer & Industry Contact Centre• Number of visits to fact sheets on websiteEffective LocalGovernment Involvement• Effective representation and targeted leadership in national forums• Effective participation in international forumsNationally Influential andInternationally Engaged• % of staff engaged in training and development programs• % of staff who believe they have the skills and support required for their duties• Secure, sustainable and diverse funding framework implemented• Agency revenue is sufficient to meet capital and recurrent expenditurerequirementsStrategic PathwaysStrategicCommunicationsMaximise FundingSourcesScience & EvidenceBased ApproachProactive Role inRelevant ForumsConsultativeThrough-Chain RiskApproachWorkforce Development& SupportProficient & WellSupported StaffSecure & Diverse FundingManage AgencyPerformanceConsumer FocusNSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Our Future57

Strategic PathwaysStrategic Communications• Open and responsive communications practices• Communicate changes to regulatory model tostakeholders• Ensure communications meet audience needs• Share issues management outcomes with stakeholders• Communications mechanisms linked and diverse• Website delivers live information• Maximum use of media to deliver key messagesScience & Evidence Based Approach• Foodborne illness data analysis feeds back into programdesign and priorities• Food safety schemes supported by current science andbest practice• Base issues management on risk assessment• Survey program targeting problem areas• Maximise use of laboratory services• Build science partnershipsConsultative Through-chain Risk Approach• Regulatory intervention based on risk and consistentthrough-chain• Consult proactively with industry and other stakeholders• Build partnerships with local government and approvedauditors• Ensure effective Authority intervention throughverification and enforcement actionManage Agency Performance• Use Results and Services Plan to drive Authorityperformance• Align Strategic Plan and Corporate Planning frameworkwith Results and Services Plan• Link workforce development and review framework toResults and Services Plan• Evaluate and review Authority programsMaximise Funding Sources• Appropriate industry and Government funding balance• Explore additional funding sources, including fee-forserviceopportunities• Agency culture includes focus on commercialopportunitiesProactive Role in Relevant Forums• Participate actively in national regulatory forums,focussing on areas relevant to 2009 targets• Participate actively in FSANZ processes• Coordinate input from relevant NSW agencies• Tap into Australia’s work in international forums• Enhance Authority’s network in regional NSWWorkforce Development & Support• Workforce development and review framework linked tonew regulatory model• Workforce culture repositioned• Recruitment, training programs and successionplanning aligned with new regulatory model• Infrastructure supports new staff rolesConsumer Focus• Consumer needs considered within entire Authoritywork program• Agency culture includes focus on consumer needs• Strengthen relationships with relevant consumerorganisations• Maximum leverage of events for consumer education58

for the NSW Food Authority 2005/06NSW Food Authority Annual Report 2005/2006 I Financial Information59

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6 Avenue of the Americas, Newington NSW 2127PO Box 6682, Silverwater NSW 1811Tel: 02 9741 4777 Fax: 02 9741 4888Internet: www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.auConsumer and Industry Contact CentreTel: 1300 552 406 Fax: 02 9647 0026Email: contact@foodauthority.nsw.gov.auOffice hours 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday