Role of Ministry of Health: Food and nutrition

The new parliamentary system and the Coalition Agreement have resulted in a different operating environment for Government departments. The Ministry of Health is at the centre of ongoing change in the health sector. Change is likely to influence the roles and responsibilities of the Food and Nutrition Section for the foreseeable future. Responsibilities of the Section are divided between nutrition, food safety and food standards. Specific activities include policy development, review of legislation, co-ordination of operational policy, international liaison and food standards. The focus of this paper is on the Ministry's role in the joint food standards setting system, monitoring and surveillance. The joint system with Australia commenced in July 1996. During the transition period dual standards are in place in New Zealand. Ultimately we are working towards a single set of food standards for both countries, hopefully by 1999. There are a number of key areas that are outside the transition arrangements of the joint system including food safety programmes and maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals. Two aspects of our role in which we expect to see significant changes are that of the Ministry's advisory functions and collaboration in monitoring and surveillance activities. The Ministry will continue to be responsible for monitoring the funding and performance agreement with the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) and advising the Minister of Health on the suitability of proposed joint standards for adoption by New Zealand. However, the Ministry's role in the development of food standards is likely to decrease to virtually zero over time. The opportunities that exist for groups, such as the Nutrition Society, will be discussed. There are a number of areas where the Ministry expects to see increased collaboration with our Australian counterparts, including ANZFA. These activities will be covered during the presentation and are in areas such as surveillance of the food supply, enforcement activities and research.