Food, Health and Product Safety

Close up image of strawberries Close up image of strawberries

Consultations are currently occurring on two more phases of the major review of the food regulation system that operates in Australia and New Zealand. Stakeholder views are being sought on consultation papers prepared by consultants on: Consistency of food regulatory approaches (responses due by 18 December) Aspirations for the food regulatory system (responses due by…

Read More More opportunities to participate in the review of the food regulation system

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Insurers have paid out $500 million less in hospital and extras benefits in 2019-20 compared to the previous year, the latest ACCC annual report into the private health insurance industry has found. This is an ACCC Media Release. The reduced benefit payout was the result of government-imposed restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited non-urgent…

Read More Health funds pay policyholders $500 million less due to COVID-19

and hand pumping hand sanitiser from a bottle and hand pumping hand sanitiser from a bottle

The following is a media release by the Hon Michael Sukkar MP: Consumers will be able to better identify the effectiveness of different hand sanitiser products under new laws designed to help Australians stay COVIDsafe. The Morrison Government has accepted the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that requires hand sanitiser manufactures…

Read More Better hand sanitiser information to keep COVIDsafe

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Four of Australia’s largest e-commerce businesses have confirmed their commitment to protecting consumers from unsafe goods online after signing on to a new product safety pledge. The following is a media release by the ACCC. The Australian Product Safety Pledge launched today, is a voluntary initiative that commits its signatories to a range of safety related responsibilities…

Read More E-commerce businesses pledge to strengthen product safety online

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CFA has provided written feedback, and participated in online workshops, on a Scoping Paper produced by consultants as part of the Review of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991. The Act is one of the main pieces of legislation and agreements that make up the joint food regulatory system that operates in Australia…

Read More CFA gives feedback to the Review of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991

Two people on a quad bike Two people on a quad bike

On Friday, CFA hosted its Consumer Advocacy Soapbox Session, celebrating the best consumer advocacy campaigns over 2019–20. The Soapbox Session was initially part of the National Consumer Congress, which was to be in March. With the support of the ACCC, CFA moved the Session online. The winner of the Award was Raphael Grzebieta from the…

Read More CFA Soapbox Prizewinner — Quad Bike Performance Project

A childs hands playing with toy blocks A childs hands playing with toy blocks

Luke Nottage, Professor, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The death of Brittney Conway, the three-year-old Gold Coast girl killed by swallowing a button battery, has again drawn attention to deaths and injuries caused by consumer goods – and to…

Read More Rather than recalling unsafe products, why not ensure they’re safe in the first place?

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The ACCC is urging parents and carers to be aware of the serious risks associated with button batteries, as it launches its ‘Tiny batteries, Big danger’ safety campaign today. In Australia, one child a month is seriously injured after swallowing or inserting a button battery, with some of them sustaining lifelong injuries. In Australia and globally, there…

Read More Button batteries – tiny batteries, big danger

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This is an important consultation because this Act is one of the main pieces of legislation and agreements that that make up the joint food regulatory system that operates in Australia and New Zealand. It mainly empowers Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to set and amend food standards and undertake other core functions. It…

Read More Scoping Paper on the Review of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 released for public consultation

An eyeshadow pallette An eyeshadow pallette

CFA has appointed John Furbank as its representative to the Standards Australia Technical Committee CS-108 Cosmetics – Terminology. John is also a member of FT-032 Organic and biodynamic products which developed the standard AS 6000 Organic and biodynamic products that includes requirements for organic cosmetic and skincare products. The Australian marketplace is exposed to a…

Read More CFA representative appointed to a Standards Australia committee on cosmetics

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CFA’s submission on a consultation paper on the development of a National Preventive Health Strategy strongly supports the preparation and implementation of the Strategy. CFA agrees with the paper that: Our health system is focussed fundamentally on the treatment of illness and disease. There is a need to enhance the focus on prevention providing more…

Read More CFA makes submission on development of the National Preventive Health Strategy