The Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand gives notice of the making of this variation under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991.  The Standard commences on the date specified in clause 3 of this variation.

Dated 12 November 2012

Standards Management Officer

Delegate of the Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand

1 Name

This instrument is the Food Standards (Application A1038 – Irradiation of Persimmons) Variation.

2 Variation to Standards in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code

The Schedule varies the Standards in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

3 Commencement

These variations commence on 15 November 2012.

SCHEDULE

[1] Standard 1.1.1 is varied by –

[1.1] omitting from the Table to clause 8 –

substituting –

[1.2] inserting in the Table to clause 8 –

[2] Standard 1.5.3 is varied by –

[2.1] omitting the Purpose, substituting –

Purpose

This Standard prohibits irradiation of food unless an express permission is given. All permissions in the Standard are subject to dosage requirements, and only apply where irradiation is undertaken for a permitted purpose.

Irradiation of foods must be carried out in facilities that are appropriately licensed and registered for the purpose of irradiation. There are various State, Territory, Commonwealth, New Zealand and International laws governing radiation control, and the operation of irradiation facilities. Other relevant Codes of Practice such as the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Irradiated Foods 1983, and its associated Code of Practice for the Operation of Irradiation Facilities Used for the Treatment of Foods, also apply to irradiation processes.

[2.2] omitting the definitions of re-irradiate and technological need from clause 1

[2.3] omitting clause 2, substituting –

2 General prohibition on irradiation of food

Food must not be irradiated unless there is a specific permission in this Standard to irradiate the food.

[2.4] omitting clause 4, the Table to clause 4 and clause 5, substituting –

4 Foods permitted to be irradiated

A food listed in column 1 of the Table to this clause may be irradiated, provided that –

(a) irradiation is only carried out for a purpose or purposes listed in column 3 of the Table to this clause; and

(b) the absorbed dose of radiation is not below the minimum dose value or above the maximum dose value specified in column 2 of the Table to this clause.

Table to clause 4

5 Permission to irradiate

(1) A permission to irradiate a food is not a permission to irradiate the food more than once.

(2) However, subclause (1) does not prohibit the irradiation of a food –

(a) which is prepared from materials that have been irradiated at levels not exceeding in any case 1 kGy; or

(b) which contains less than 50 g/kg of irradiated ingredients; or

(c) where the required full dose of ionising radiation is applied to the food in divided doses for a specific technological reason.

[2.5] omitting the second example from the Examples under subclause 6(1)

[2.6] omitting the words clause 2 from subclause 6(3), substituting subclause 2(1)

[2.7] omitting subclause 6(4)

[2.8] inserting –

7 Record keeping

(1) Records must be kept at a facility where food is irradiated in relation to –

(a) the nature and quality of the food treated; and

(b) lot identification; and

(c) the minimum durable life of the food treated; and

(d) the process used; and

(e) compliance with the process used; and

(f) the minimum and maximum dose absorbed by the food; and

(g) an indication whether or not the product has been irradiated previously and if so, details of such treatment; and

(h) date of irradiation.

(2) The records required to be kept by subclause (1) must be kept for a period of time that exceeds the minimum durable life of the irradiated food by 1 year.

[2.9] updating the Table of Provisions to reflect these variations