Minister congratulates MPI for US agreement

Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson has congratulated the Ministry for Primary Industries for making us the first country to sign a Food Safety Systems Recognition Arrangement with the US Food and Drug Administration.

The signing took place at a meeting in Washington DC earlier this week. It means that New Zealand and the United States recognise each other’s food safety systems as providing a comparable degree of food safety assurance.

This is the first time the FDA has recognised another country’s food safety system as comparable to its own.

“I congratulate the Ministry for Primary Industries and the FDA for working together to reach this excellent achievement,” Ms Wilkinson says.

“Such systems recognition agreements can help us maximise export opportunities as they provide for increased international consumer confidence and greater commercial certainty for both importers and exporters.”

The agreement covers all foods and animal feeds regulated by the FDA, which equates to $1.5 billion of New Zealand’s current exports of primary products.

Both countries intend to use the agreement to lessen the potential regulatory burden for foods traded between the countries by removing unnecessary duplicative activities.

The agreement follows a comprehensive review of each country’s relevant laws and regulations, inspection programmes, response to food-related illness and outbreaks, compliance and enforcement, and laboratory support.