Non-Infec)ous

Food Safety Concerns:

Australian Perspec)ve

Food For a Healthy Planet 1

Wednesday 11th May 2016
Julia Steenkamp
B.Health Science (Nutri)on & Diete)cs)
Post Grad Dip Food Science
Master of Social Change & Development (Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development)

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 Key Learning Areas

Consumer food safety concerns in Australia, Europe and the US.

Food Policy: Australia, Europe, US and Codex Alimentarius.
Australias food imports and exports.
Case Study 1: Antibiotics in imported seafood
Case Study 2: Heavy metals in imported fruit and vegetables
Case Study 3: Growth promotants in exported beef.
Country of Origin Labeling in Australia.

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Issues for Australian Consumers

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 Issues for Australian Consumers

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 Food Safety in Australia

Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regula6on
Develops policy guidelines that FSANZ has to have regard to when seXng food standards
Has general oversight of the implementa)on of standards

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

Independent statutory agency
Develops standards that regulate the use of foods and ingredients
Labelling

Individual State and Territory Agencies
Enforce the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code

Australian Pes6cides & Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)
Australian government authority that registers all agricultural and veterinary chemical products in
the Australian marketplace.
Approves chemicals eg hormones, pes)cides etc.
Sets MRLs.

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 Issues for American Consumers
2015 Food & Health Survey

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 Issues for European
Consumers

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 Food Safety in Europe & US
Europe
European Food Safety Authority
Provides independent scientific advice on food safety risk assessment.
Informs the European Food Safety Policy

United States
Food & Drug Authority (FDA)
Department of Health & Human Services
Food Code
Responsible for the regulation of all food other than meat, poultry and eggs

Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)

Department of Agriculture
Responsible for the regulation of meat, poultry and eggs

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 Dierent Countries
Dierent Priori)es
Dierent Policies
Cyclamate:
Banned in the United States since 1969
Approved in Europe and Australia

Growth hormones in Beef

Banned in Europe since 1985
Approved in United States and Australia

Genetically Modified (GM) Food

100+ approvals in the United States since 1992
28 approvals in Europe most of which are not in commercial use
Australia has 76 approvals; the vast majority of this are imported, not grown
here.

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Codex Alimentarius is the international body responsible for setting
international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice that contribute to
the safety, quality and fairness of international food trade.

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 Imports
Imported Food Concerns:
Antibiotics
Heavy metal contamination

Exports
Exported Food Concerns
Growth Promotants

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Australias Top Food Trading Partners

Australian Food & Grocery Council: State of the Industry Report 2014.

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 Australias Food Imports

Australian Food & Grocery Council: State of the Industry Report 2014.
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Product of.
Thailand

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Australias Food Exports

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 Case Study 1:
An)bio)cs in Imported Seafood

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 Australias Import of Processed Seafood

Import Value

Domes)c Value

Consump)on of imported seafood

products represents 72% of the
total sh and shellsh consumed by
Australians.

Australian Food & Grocery Council: State of the Industry Report 2014.
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 Australias Import of Processed Seafood

Which seafood does Australia import?
1.Canned fish
2.Frozen fillets (predominantly basa fillet)
3.Frozen whole and processed prawns
4.Frozen squid products

COST EFFECTIVE

Thailand has become the tuna processing hub of the world.processing and
canning 2/3 of the worlds tuna.

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An)bio)cs

Mercury
Polluted
Pes)cides
Waterways
-Sewage
-Industrial Runo Heavy
Metals

Consumer concerns
with imported seafood 20
 An)bio)cs

An antibiotic is an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth.

Discovered in 1928.

Widespread use in humans and animals.

Intensive fish farming (particularly in polluted waterways)

= bacterial diseases
= antibiotics.

Regulation in Australia: APVMA

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 An)bio)cs in Australian Aquaculture

Approved:
Oxytetracycline

Banned:
Malachite Green
Nitrofurans
Fluroquinolones
Chloramphenicol

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 Regula)on of An)bio)cs in Imported Seafood
Imported seafood must meet the quarantine standards of the Imported Food Control Act (1992) which
is enforced by AQIS at the Australian border.

Food Standards Code

FSANZ is responsible for conducting risk assessment for imported food.

Food classified as either RISK or SURVEILLANCE.

Most seafood falls into the category of RISK, but some (such as commercially heat treated, canned
products) fall into the surveillance category.

RISK foods all lines are sampled (100%).

Surveillance Foods 5% of lines are inspected.

Seafood is tested for:

Antibiotic
Microbial contamination
Histamines.

AQIS may enter into quality assurance arrangements with individual overseas manufacturers that are
able to demonstrate that they have systems in place that ensure they comply with the Code.

Arrangements exist with New Zealand and Thailand.

o Reduced rates of inspection. 23
 Maximum Residue Limits of An)bio)cs in Australia
Maximum Residue Limit (MRL): The maximum permitted level of agricultural
and veterinary chemical residues in food.

Outlined in Section 1.4.2 of the Australian Food Standards Code.

Source: Fisheries Research &

Development Corporation 2007. 24
 Studies: An)bio)cs in Imported Seafood
Australia imports fish from Thailand, China and Vietnam where the use of
veterinary chemicals (ie antibiotics) may not be so tightly regulated.

FSANZ National survey of chemical residues in aquaculture (2005)

Tested 60 samples (14 local and 46 imported).
Tested for a number of different antibiotics.
54/56 chemicals screened in the survey were not detected in any of the
samples.
Two chemicals were detected:
Malachite Green & Leucomalachite Green (metabolite)
Chemicals were detected in 3 local samples and 7 samples from
Vietnam.

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 Studies: An)bio)cs in Imported Seafood

AQIS Imported Food Survey (2008)

Tested 100 samples of imported seafood for 88 different agricultural and
veterinary compounds.
Residues of one or more antimicrobial chemicals were detected in 31 samples.
These residues were found to be above Australian MRLs.
Some residues were for substances banned in Australia.
13 different compounds were detected, belonging to the following chemical
groups:
Sulphonamide
Tetracycline
Malachite Green
Penicillin
Quinolone
Fluoroquinolone
Phenicol

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Nitrofuran

Fluoroquinolone Broad spectrum an)bio)c widely used in
human and veterinary medicine.
Broad spectrum an)bio)c use in human
health. Short term toxicology studies in rats and
mice treated with high doses of
One of the most commonly prescribed Nitrofurazone showed carcinogenicity.
an)bio)cs in humans.
Resistance to nitrofurans can develop.
Resistance to uoroquinolones can evolve
rapidly. Banned in the EU, US and Australia

Has been banned for use in many countries
due to the development of an)bio)cs
resistance. Malachite Green

Tradi)onally used as a dye for silk, leather and
paper.

Now also used in aquaculture as it is eec)ve
against pathogenic microorganisms.

Long term studies in mice treated with high doses
of Malachite Green showed carcinogenicity.

Banned in many countries including Australia and
the US. 27
 Major Concerns with An)bio)cs in Fish

1. Effect on non-target organisms

2. Environmental persistence
3. Development of resistance

Public health concern:

The consumption of traces of antibiotics in seafood is not the concern.
The concern is the consumption of antibiotic resistant bacteria from the
seafood.
Resistance can spread which can lead to resistance to human
antibiotic treatments.
Resistant genes may end up in human pathogens such as E.coli
and Salmonella.

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 Summary of An)bio)cs in
Imported Seafood
Antibiotics are used in aquaculture to treat disease.

A number of antibiotics are banned from use in Australia that are

not banned in other countries such as China and Vietnam.

Whilst surveillance of imported seafood shows that the majority

of the time, imported seafood meets Australian standards, there
are still traces of banned antibiotics in our food supply.

A low level of long term exposure to antibiotics could lead to

antibiotic resistance and is therefore a public health concern.

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 Case Study 2:
Heavy Metals in Imported Fruit & Vegetables

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Australias Import of Processed Fruit &
Vegetables

Import Value

Domes)c Value

Australian Food & Grocery Council: State of the Industry Report 2014.
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 Heavy Metals in Fruit & Vegetables

Heavy metals include Arsenic, Cadmium

and Lead

Heavy metals are derived from mining,
manufacturing and the use of synthe)c
products (pes)cides, paints, bajeries,
industrial waste and land applica)on of
industrial or domes)c sludge).

Contaminated soils are oken found in areas

such as:
Old landll sites
Old orchards that once used insec)cides
containing arsenic
Fields that had past applica)ons of waste
water or municipal sludge
Areas in and around old mining waste piles
Areas that are close to industry
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Heavy metals are taken up by plants and accumulate in
the edible and non-edible parts of the plant at quantities
high enough to cause clinical problems to both animals
and human beings.

Consumption of high levels of heavy

metals can lead to a number of
neurological, cardiovascular and renal
impairments.

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 Heavy Metals in Imported Fruit & Vegetables
There are concerns that imported fruit and vegetables grown in China may have
higher levels of heavy metals due to contaminated soils and water.

In 2007, AQIS data showed that 17.9% of foods imported from China contained
unacceptable levels of Cadmium and19.2% showed unacceptable levels of lead.

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 Heavy Metals in Fruit & Vegetables
AQIS: Low risk Surveillance food.
5% of imported lines tested.

What do AQIS test?

Label Assessment
Visual Assessment
Microbiological Test (E.coli)
Pesticide screen (108 pesticides).

What dont AQIS regularly test?

Other chemicals/pesticides
Heavy metals (eg Cadmium, Lead, Tin, Copper, Zinc).

Currently the only fruits/vegetables tested for heavy metals:

Tinned and preserved fruit
Only lead and tin tested (after industry concerns)

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 Case Study 3:
Growth Promotants in Exported Meat

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Australias Processed Meat Exports

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 Growth Promotants

Growth promotants are among the many sophisticated tools used by Australian
farmers to produce more beef or pork, more rapidly, using less feed.

Growth promotants include

Antimicrobials
Hormonal growth implants
Beta Adrenoreceptor Agonists

Growth Promotants are used in Australia in BEEF production and PORK

production.

Growth promotants are NOT used in chicken, lamb, or dairy production.

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 Hormonal Growth Promotants

Beef production (40%)

Used in Australia for >30 years
Supplements of naturally occurring hormones (Oestrogen, progesterone,
testosterone) that stimulate growth.
Synthetic or natural
Implant behind ear for 100-200 days.

APVMA: Approved for use in beef cattle

TGA: Safe for human consumption

European Union X

Russia X

China X

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 Hormonal Growth Promotants
Posi6ves Nega6ves

Food Safety Approved for use in Not approved in EU, Russia

Australia, NZ, USA, Japan. & China. EFSA claimed
Hormone levels much carcinogenicity of
lower than other oestrodial.
commonly consumed
foods. (See graph)
Meat Quality Studies show reduced
meat quality with HGP (See
graph)
Environment 5-15% improved feed
conversion eciency.
Lower inputs.
Food Security Increase growth rate by
15-30%.
Economic Worth $210 million/year in
Australia. 45
Australian Brahman Breeders Association Limited. 46
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 Beta Adrenoreceptor Agonists

Ractopamine (Paylean)
Used significantly in pork production in Australia.
Non-hormonal
Feed additive
Fed to pigs in the final weeks before slaughter to increase growth and
leanness.
APVMA: Safe for use in pork production.

160 countries X
European Union X
China X
Russia X

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 Beta Adrenoreceptor Agonists
Posi6ves Nega6ves

Food Safety Approved in Australia, US, Canada EFSA: Not enough data to show
& Japan (mainly for pork that it is safe for human
produc)on only). consumpEon. Par)cular risk for
people with CV problems.
Codex controversially set MRL in
2012.
Meat Quality No change

Environment 13% improved feed conversion

eciency.
Lower inputs.
Food Security Increase growth rate by 10%
(increased leanness)

Economic $5-10 per pig.

Animal Welfare Increased incidence of non-

ambulatory, non-injured pigs
(NANI) ~0.3-0.4%.
More suscep)ble to stress.
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 Summary: Growth Promotants in
Exported Meat
Growth hormones used in ~ 40% of Australian beef.
Very low hormone levels in consumed product.
Assessed as safe for human consumption.
Positive impact on environment and food security.
May affect trade with countries that do not allow hormones in beef.

Non-hormonal growth promotants used in Australian pork.

Banned in many countries due to safety concerns and animal welfare
concerns.
Assessed as safe in Australia.
Positive impact on environment and food security.
May affect trade with countries that do not allow growth promotants in pork.

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 Country of Origin Labeling
Foods sold in Australia are required by the Food Standards Code to have
country of origin labeling.

Packaged food must carry a statement identifying either:

The country where the food was made, produced or grown

OR
The country where the food was manufactured or packaged and that the
food is a mix of ingredients imported into that country or a mix of local and
imported ingredients.

Therefore, it is currently not necessary to state where the food was grown.
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 Country of Origin Labeling
Common terms used:

Statement Deni6on
Product of Each signicant ingredient originated in the country claimed and
almost all of the produc)on processes occurred in that country.
Usually used for processed foods.
Grown in Each signicant ingredient originated in the country claimed and
almost all of the produc)on processes occurred in that country.
Usually used for fresh foods.

Made in Product was manufactured in the country claimed and at least
50% of the cost of produc)on occurred in that country. Can
contain ingredients from other countries.

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Snapshot of Labels in the Supermarket

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Clemons C, 2015: Where does it come from? Choice Magazine. www.choice.com.au
 Country of Origin Labeling
Consumer Concern:

With most products, the origin of where the food was grown cannot
be determined from the label.

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 Country of Origin Labeling

In March 2014 the Minister for Agriculture asked the Standing Committee on Agriculture
and Industry to inquire into and report on Country of Origin Food Labeling.

2016 New Country of Origin Food Labeling

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Packed In
 Take Home Messages
Different countries have different standards for food safety. These are often influenced by
historical events, politics, trade and consumer concerns.

In Australia, we have a reputation for high quality food products, that adhere to rigorous
food safety standards.

Surveillance of foods entering Australia is acceptable, although some would argue that
there are areas where improvements can be made.

The majority of imported foods entering our food supply, comply with Australian Food
Standards.

Australian standards for the use of Growth Promotants in beef and pork production is
not as strict as the EU, Russia and China. This can affect trade with these countries.
However, Australian consumers are also driving change.

Australias Country of Origin Labeling laws are changing. Consumers will soon know
whether their food was grown and manufactured in Australia. However, otherwise
determining country of origin will still be very difficult.

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