What are food policies
Food policies are the guiding principles for addressing significant food issues. The Food Ministers’ Meeting issues food policy in the form of policy guidelines.
View the ministerial policy guidelines.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) must consider the policy guidelines when developing food standards or reviewing the Food Standards Code.
Who develops food policies
In the joint food regulation system, the Food Regulation Standing Committee (FRSC):
- appoints project leads and working groups to develop policy
- oversees and guides policy development
- provides policy advice and options to the food ministers.
The Food Ministers’ Meeting approves food policy.
When food policies are developed
The need to develop food policy is identified in different ways, including through:
- discussion at the FRSC about a food issue
- a request from the food ministers
- consideration of food issues raised with the FSANZ.
The food ministers decide when a food issue or request should proceed to policy development.
How food policies are developed
The Food Regulation Policy Framework sets out the process to assess food issues and decide appropriate policy responses. It is a guide for those who develop policy on behalf of the food ministers.
Overview of the Food Regulation Policy Framework
A – Authorising environment requires clear:
- Scope
- Objectives
- Permission
B – Understand the issue and describe the desired outcome
- Define success and intent
- Does the risk affect >1 jurisdiction
C – Gateway 1 (go, no go)
- Agreed priority for bi-national response
D – Develop and evaluate options
- No action (status quo)
- Not regulatory
- Regulatory (consider policy guideline)
- Exploring, designing and testing
- Consider outcomes
E – Policy advice
- Identify preferred policy option(s) and develop advice for ministers
F – Gateway 2 (go, no go)
G – Build and implement
- Put in place the selected option
H – Evaluation of effectiveness of policy
- Refer to Food Regulation Evaluation Framework. Revisit preceding steps if desired outcome is not achieved.
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