Foreword (May 2018)
Foreword
Welcome to the May 2018 edition of FoodLegal Bulletin!
By Joe Lederman
(Managing Principal, FoodLegal)
There are still places available at our upcoming FoodLegal
workshops in Sydney and Melbourne. This
session is an important one to catch up with recent Australian Consumer Law
cases and to get answers on the imminent mandatory application (1 July 2018) of
the new Country of Origin Information Standard.
Pre-registration
is required. Seats are limited.
Register
for SYDNEY Monday 28 May 2018
Register
for MELBOURNE Thursday 31 May 2018
In this edition of FoodLegal
Bulletin
In our FREE
article “Current developments
in food law and policy in Australia and overseas” we cover not only
ACCC cases that deal with food companies but also important court decisions
with broad implications for food companies (the legal outcomes are equally
applicable to business at large).
In our second
FREE article “Does
the new country of origin labelling apply to inner packs?”, FoodLegal principal Charles Fisher explains that the
Country of Origin Information Standard has anomalies in dealing with an issue
even though similar issues are dealt with differently in other laws. The laws have different purposes but create
additional regulatory costs for food companies.
Many food companies
are aware of notification requirements for food recalls and ACCC purposes, but
are much less aware of very important requirements for mandatory notifications
under Australia’s biosecurity laws. Our article “Statutory
reporting requirements for biosecurity risks on foods imported to Australia”
explains the regulatory framework, incidents that must be notified, and the
huge penalties for non-compliance.
Our article “Waste Management
regulatory regimes in Australia and further developments to watch” addresses
emerging developments that have triggered the need to review Australia’s
arrangements for waste management and examines the current regulatory
framework.
Certain meat
definitions are changing, in particular that of lamb. In our article “How
new definitions can redefine meat marketing” we explore potential opportunities for
other value-adding by legal definitions that could be considered by the meat
industry or individual meat companies considering the legal position.
FoodLegal Scientist Rozita Vaskoska’s
article “Carrageenan as a
disputed food additive” provides the latest scientific literature
review and analysis of different prevailing schools of thought on carrageenan,
and identifies the legal regulatory issues that need to be considered.
A lot of people
do not understand the interface between industry standards and their importance
in meeting legal requirements. Many make
the mistake of assuming that all industry standards are voluntary. Our article “The
practical differences between industry-based private compliance and legal
regulatory compliances” looks at the relationship between industry
standards and legal standards and explores when a voluntary standard can be legally
binding or carry the same weight as a mandatory law.
We hope you
enjoy this edition of FoodLegal Bulletin!
Joe Lederman
Editor
This is general information rather than legal advice and is current as of 30 Oct 2021. We therefore recommend you seek legal advice for your particular circumstances if you want to rely on advice or information to be a basis for any commercial decision-making by you or your business.