Food, Health and Product Safety Archives - Page 15 of 46

20 December , 2021

New safety standard for portable non-aerosol fire extinguishers

A new mandatory safety standard for portable non-aerosol fire extinguishers, published today, will improve existing performance and identification requirements, to reduce the risk of a fire extinguisher not operating correctly during a fire. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 20th December, 2021. The new standard, issued…

17 December , 2021

Medical practitioners’ use of the title surgeon under the National Law

Victoria is leading a national consultation on behalf of all Australian Health Ministers on the use of the title surgeon by medical practitioners under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law). This is a duplication of contact from the Department of Health. It was received on 13th December, 2021. Health ministers are concerned that the regulatory framework…

9 December , 2021

Health funds must exercise caution when calculating COVID-19 relief for policyholders

Insurers have continued to return profits gained from a reduction in claims during the COVID?19 pandemic to policyholders, but ongoing restrictions in some states delayed the full return of these profits in 2020-21, the latest ACCC annual report into the private health insurance industry has found. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was…

22 November , 2021

ACCC’s product safety pledge improves consumer safety online

Over 90 per cent of identified unsafe product listings were removed within two business days by online businesses signed up to the Australian Product Safety Pledge. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 19th November, 2021. The voluntary initiative commits signatories to 12 product safety actions, that go…

8 November , 2021

Mental health discrimination by insurers: new report calls for urgent ASIC investigation

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) should immediately investigate how life insurers treat people with past or current mental health conditions, in response to continuing widespread discrimination by life insurers. This is a media release from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. It was originally published on 8th November, 2021. This is a key recommendation of Mental Health Discrimination…

25 October , 2021

Report finds many food retailers not complying with weights and measures laws

The National Measurement Institute’s (NMI) report on retailer compliance in 2020-21 reveals that 88% of fruit and vegetable retailers, 42% of meat, fish and poultry retailers, and 25% of supermarkets were not complying with their legal requirements when audited during a concentrated period during the year. Much of this post is taken from a media release by Queensland…

6 September , 2021

Going down the toilet! – Have your say

Incorrect labelling and marketing of wet wipes and other items as ‘flushable’ has resulted in serious plumbing issues by contributing to ‘fatbergs’. Wet wipes and other items don’t disintegrate like toilet paper when flushed, wet wipes typically contain plastic so, once they reach the sea, they last for a long time, causing havoc with marine…

9 August , 2021

Consumers International releases statement on the future of food

To mark this year’s UN Food Systems Summit being held in late September, Consumers International (CI) has prepared a global consumer advocacy statement on the future of food. The statement contains a set of people-centred solutions for the development of healthy, safe, fair, and sustainable food systems. CI is the membership organisation for over 200…

9 August , 2021

Stationary training equipment standards open for public comment

Stationery training equipment incudes exercise bicycles, training benches, treadmills, rowing machines, steppers, and other equipment for use in training areas of organisations such as sports associations, hotels, sports halls, educational establishments, studios, gyms, fitness centres etc where access and control are regulated by the owner. The nine parts of the new standards are open for…

2 August , 2021

Federal government misses opportunity to help shoppers save at the checkout

The nation’s peak body for consumer organisations, the Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) says shoppers will miss out on big savings possible when buying groceries, and other packaged products, as a result of federal government not improving the current Unit Pricing Code. The Code requires only large supermarkets and some online grocery retailers to provide…

2 July , 2021

CFA and member organisations call for changes to proposed new federal Unit Pricing Code

CFA has made a submission to the federal government on its draft new Grocery Unit Pricing Industry Code of Conduct. The submission disagrees strongly with the conclusions of the review of the current Code and with the proposed new Code’s provisions (which are identical to those of the current Code). It also argues that implementation…

16 June , 2021

Public health and consumer organisations call for food regulatory reform to put the health of Australians and New Zealanders first

CFA has joined with serval public health and consumer organisations in calling for the Australian Government to prioritise the health of Australians and New Zealanders as they consider reforms to redesign the food regulatory system for Australia and New Zealand. The joint statement says the current review of the system: Will set the foundation for…