Food Safety Compromised with the introduction of
‘Choose Your Own Auditor’

18 January 2010

“The NSW Government is compromising the health and safety of our most vulnerable people by lowering the state’s food safety standards,” said CPSA Policy/Research Officer Antoine Mangion.

In October 2009 the then Minister for Primary Industries Ian MacDonald approved changes to food safety regulation of the state’s highest risk food businesses. These changes have been in effect since December 2009.

“Hospitals, nursing homes and delivered meal organisations will all now be able to choose their own food safety auditors, rather than being directly regulated by the NSW Food Authority. These providers are delivering health and care services to our oldest and most frail members of society. Auditing examines the storage, preparation and hygiene of food. CPSA is concerned that these changes will seriously compromise the health and wellbeing of those receiving food services in care.

“Many people in nursing homes suffer from poor nutrition because the quality and range of food provided would barely be passable. With nursing homes and others now able to shop around for the ‘friendliest’ auditor in town, there will now be even greater risk of food poisoning and infection.

“These changes have supposedly been introduced on the principles of cutting red tape and providing ‘choice’ to the food industry. What a misconstrued notion of choice! When it comes to such things as food safety, standards are standards: you either meet them or you don’t. There should be no ability to choose how you are audited. The only choice CPSA sees coming out of the new auditing procedures is a nursing home or hospital choosing between an auditor that holds firm to the reporting requirements and one that will ‘go soft’.

“What’s more, we expect a drop in food safety auditing standards across the board. The auditors who take the soft approach to regulation will quickly become known through the food industry. If others want to keep in the game, they will have to drop to those ‘soft’ standards as well.

“The Government stated that the changes were put in place after close consultation with the industry. With possible impacts on the health and safety of the community, a wider consultation process should have taken place. The NSW Government has not confirmed that any consumer organisations were consulted. It seems to have been an industry-friendly consultation designed to implement industry-friendly change.

“CPSA calls on the NSW Government to reverse these regulation changes. Truly independent auditing, provided directly by the NSW Food Authority, will restore integrity in the auditing system and confidence within the community, most especially for vulnerable Australians and their families.”

Contact: Antoine Mangion, Policy/Research Officer

Mobile: 0410 612 182

Media contact: 0410 612 182

Charmaine Crowe
Policy Coordinator
Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA)
Level 9, 28 Foveaux Street Surry Hills NSW, 2010
Phone (02) 9281 3588
Mob 0410 612 182
Fax (02) 9281 9716