Choudhary Ashraf: Food Bill — First Reading 
Choudhary Ashraf: Food Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:665;Page:12617] 
Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY (Labour) 
: 
 It is quite interesting to see Kate Wilkinson speaking in the first reading debate on the Food Bill. I am not really sure who the Minister for Food Safety is at this stage because the Food Safety Authority was merged into the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on 1 July. It is still not clear who is running the show on the Food Bill. Is it the Minister of Agriculture or is it the Minister of Conservation who is also the Minister of Labour? 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Who would know? 
Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY 
: Who would know? This Minister Kate Wilkinson has mucked up the 90-day bill she introduced and she has mucked up the lives of many workers in New Zealand. This is the same Minister who was rolled over by Mr Brownlee in the mining area. The Minister of Conservation has been part of that mining plan in association with Mr Brownlee. 
This bill refers to imported and exported food in New Zealand. In New Zealand our main business is food. We produce food for about 60 million people. Of course we consume a very small proportion of that food. We have about $20 billion worth of food that is exported and about $22 billion worth of estimated annual turnover in the food area. We employ over 20 percent of the workforce in the food area—that is in production processing retail and all that. So it is very important employment for New Zealand. It is very important for New Zealand’s exports as well as for the social fabric of society. This bill is an important bill that has been in preparation for a number of years. Looking back I have to acknowledge the good work done by Lianne Dalziel a former Minister for Food Safety and Annette King who had been in the forefront of preparing this bill and doing the background work for a number of years. The bill has now come to the House after a number of years of preparation. 
I say that we support this bill being sent to select committee. We will have the opportunity in select committee to receive submissions from the wider sector. I hope the chairman of the Primary Production Committee will give submitters the opportunity to have plenty of time to submit on this bill because this bill is as the Minister just said a major review after 30 years. The bill is huge. At about 400 clauses it is a big bill. I think we need to give plenty of time for the submitters whether they are in manufacturing retail exporting or importing. I think we have to give enough time for people to submit on the bill. 
We welcome the introduction of this bill. When we were in the office we were proactive in recognising the shortfalls under the existing food regulations. We initiated the domestic food review which identified the major problem of food-borne illnesses we have in New Zealand. Clearly 18000 cases of intestinal illness a year with 1000 of those requiring hospitalisation is completely unacceptable. The review also identified the confusion resulting from three different food regimes and three different regulations operating simultaneously. Labour oversaw the first draft of the Food Bill which we now see introduced to Parliament. We support changes to improve business certainty and to ensure that compliance costs are kept to a minimum. Given the current economic situation it makes sense that food businesses that are subject to food control plans have the ability to sign up to a generic template that covers the whole sector. 
There are as the Minister said a number of key tools in this bill that are important. As the Minister highlighted one of the key areas is the food control plans. These plans are particularly related to high-risk businesses like restaurants. Every restaurant around the country and similar businesses will have to have food control plans. Secondly there has to be a national programme for the lower to medium-risk businesses—for example horticulture producers and meat producers. Those areas which are in the low to medium-risk business category will have to have some kind of national programme. Thirdly we need to have food-handler guidance particularly educational information for low-risk operators who for example do fundraising events like sausage sizzles as the Minister mentioned before. We have to have some kind of guidance and information provided to those people. Fourthly we must monitor programmes to determine safety and suitability of food. Those are four tools in the armoury of this bill to ensure that we have suitable and appropriate food for New Zealanders and for exporters. 
I come to a couple of specific areas. In terms of food plans we support the concept of a schedule to establish those high-risk businesses subject to food control plans those medium to low-risk businesses that will comply to a national programme and those low-risk operations such as fundraising activities that will have food-handling guidance through education will suffice. We will be seeking a guarantee on that point that this bill will have no impact on the cake-stall holders or the sausage sizzlers. I am particularly worried because clause 93(2)(b)—and I highlighted this earlier in a question to the Minister—states that a person or food business that is subject to food-handler guidance is liable to prosecution if they fail to comply with those requirements as it is an offence against the Act. There are issues like that and there are some fishhooks that we still need to look at. I am sure that some of those issues will come through at the select committee and we will look at the details. 
In terms of the costs to the operators we need to pay close attention to any increased cost incurred. According to documents released to Labour under the Official Information Act fees in Dunedin have already jumped by $300 for some operators after territorial authorities raised their charges when they found their current charges inadequate. We also note that in the interim many territorial authorities have eased up on forcing compliance because they know the new legislation is coming. We hope that when the new legislation begins to impact and the adjustments are made it does not bite too hard on the small operators that have been disadvantaged through the economic recession. In relation to importers I think this bill is very important for imported food. I am personally really concerned about some of the food we import particularly from some developing countries where food regulations and hygiene are not very good. This bill will hopefully take care of some of those issues that we face every day in small shops like dairies. 
The Food Bill requires every consignment of food to be imported by a registered importer. I think it is very good that those importers should be registered whether directly or as an agent for a person importing food. The bill requires the chief executive to keep and maintain a public register of registered importers. I think that is very good. There should be a register for people importing food. These requirements do not exist currently and they will enable more effective communication with and targeting of importers in situations that present risk and when otherwise necessary. In the final analysis I say that we will be very keen to pay particularly close attention to some of the costs incurred to ensure that there are not too onerous problems for the Kiwi sausage sizzlers and to address those kinds of issues.