New Act increases food safety for all Western Australians
Western Australians will be protected under some of the most comprehensive food safety regulations in the country with today’s implementation of the Food Act 2008.
The Act will be the principal piece of legislation regulating the sale of food in Western Australia and will provide food safety regulation over the entire food supply chain - from paddock to plate.
Environmental Health Director Jim Dodds said the Act would cover a wide range of food safety issues to ensure that consumers could be confident about the safety of what they were buying and eating.
"The Act will apply to everyone involved in the sale of food in WA," he said.
"It will provide the food industry with the opportunity to take ownership over food safety and encourage food safety innovations as a result.
"The Act adopts the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code which covers cleanliness, sanitation, hygiene, food serving practices and a whole range of other aspects that go into the preparation and provision of food.
"Local government will be responsible for the administration of the Act relating to food businesses operating within their district."
Mr Dodds also said that this new legislation would make it clearer and simpler for food vendors to understand what was required of them when it came to food safety.
"Previously we had a number of different pieces of legislation that related to various aspects of food safety," he said.
"Now we have this one piece of legislation which replaces them all, making it clearer for business owners, employees and government organisations alike.
"WA food businesses will now need to meet the same administrative standards as food businesses elsewhere in Australia."
The Act can be found at http://www.public.health.wa.gov.au/3/829/3/wa_food_regulation.pm
For more information or advice on food safety issues people are advised to contact their local council or the Department of Health’s Food Unit on 9388 4999 or by email to foodunit@health.wa.gov.au
ENDS
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