FoodLegal Bulletin, September 2011

• New Vending Machine Laws in Victoria
• Recallnet Webportal launched
• Raw Milk cheeses FSANZ proposal
• Tougher NSW policy on food service safety supervisors
• Federal Parliament SenateSelect Committee on Australia's Food Processing Sector
• Reduction in length of time for feedlot approval in WA
• Minimum Alcohol Content for Wine
• Therapeutic Products non-compliance
• Food Industry Forum – Training Fundamentals

This article begins our series on regulatory policy issues in relation to different sweeteners in the market place in Australia and around the world. We look at a popular sweetener – aspartame. Future articles will consider stevia and other new sweeteners. This article considers the scientific literature and compares the regulations in Australia, the European Union and the United States. 

This article explores the regulatory approaches to Starch in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (ANZFSC). This ancient material is a necessity in modern food manufacture whilst appearing in many new guises with a range of regulatory impacts.

On 1 October 2011, the Senate Committee that was established to examine the impact of the supermarket milk price discounting wars is due to hand down its final report. However, in the course of its inquiry, the Senate Committee received a joint submission from CHOICE and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) proposing the establishment of a Supermarket Ombudsman. This article examines the issues concerning this proposal.

Certification of a standard is a vital process in the making of food quality standards and safety assurance standards. However, who certifies the certifier? Can the quality and consistency of the certification processes themselves be assured? This article looks at the parallel operation of government and industry accreditation and benchmarking systems that exist for quality assurance systems used by the major supermarkets in Australia. This article also addresses the tensions between the certification system operating under the umbrella of JAS-ANZ and the benchmarking and assessment and endorsement systems of the food retailer-driven Global Food Safety Initiative.

Class actions (or representative proceedings) have become an entrenched feature of the legal and media landscape. Indeed, class action litigation is on the rise in Australia. It is therefore important, particularly for food companies, to be aware of the law and procedure in relation to class actions. This article provides the framework and context for class actions in Australia and some key cases of particular relevance to the food industry.