Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) (Māori: "Te Mana Kounga Kai – Ahitereiria me Aotearoa"), formerly Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), is the statutory authority in the Australian Government Health portfolio which is responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand. Description. FSANZ develops the standards in consultation with experts, other government agencies and stakeholders; the standards are enforced by state and territory departments, agencies and local councils in Australia, the Ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand, and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for food imported into Australia . The recommendations made by the body are open and accountable, and based upon a rigorous scientific assessment of risk to public health and safety. All decisions made by FSANZ must be approved by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council, which is composed of the Health Minister from each of the Australian states and territories, and the Health Minister from New Zealand, and other participating Ministers nominated by each jurisdiction. This may lead to political interference in the decision: for example the decision made over hemp seed, when the Food Standards scientists recommended that hemp seed be allowed  for sale, the ministers vetoed this because they did not want to appear soft on drugs. Publications from FSANZ include the "Australian Total Diet Survey" and "Shoppers' Guide to Food Additives and labels". Nomenclature. This authority is sometimes cited variously as Australia and New Zealand Food Standards/Safety Authority (ANZFSA), possibly incorrect nomenclature arising due to confusion with the old initialism ANZFA, and with the acronym of the New Zealand authority, NZFSA (pronounced enzfissar, similar to anzfessar of ANZFSA), which previously managed such questions in New Zealand.