Foreword (October 2019)

By Joe Lederman (FoodLegal Chairperson), John Thisgaard and Jenny Awad (FoodLegal Bulletin Co-Editors)

Welcome to the October 2019 edition of FoodLegal Bulletin!

In this October 2019 edition of FoodLegal Bulletin

Our FREE article “Current developments in food law and policy in Australia and elsewhere” provides this month’s update on new regulatory developments and scientific developments that impact food producers and suppliers, beginning with Australia, but also internationally.

The Australian Federal Government has announced it is taking action on isolated caffeine powder. Our article “Changes to the regulation of the import and sale of high caffeine foods and medicines in Australia” explores the extent of the regulatory actions being taken by these government bodies and whether they adequately address the issues around consumer’s accessing high caffeine products.

Our article “Is enzyme regulation obsolete?” looks at the way enzymes are regulated when used in food and considers whether this framework appropriately deals with the innovative ways that enzymes are being used to deliver added benefits and attributes in functional foods.

Fermented beverages have seen a dramatic increase in popularity. Our article “Regulatory issues surrounding fermented non-dairy beverages” highlights some of the key regulatory issues facing manufacturers of fermented beverages, particularly with respect to product labelling, alcohol content and product safety.

Our article “Is substantial transformation based on the whole product or just imported ingredients?” examines the test of “substantial transformation” and whether it requires a food business to look at not only the final step of transformation of the overall product but also the effect of the imported component of ingredients in the transformation.

Our article “The role of industry standards in misleading or deceptive conduct” discusses the relevance of industry standards and product standards in determining whether conduct is misleading or deceptive, following a recent decision by the Australian Federal Court.

We hope you enjoy this October 2019 edition of FoodLegal Bulletin !

Regards,

Joe Lederman, John Thisgaard and Jenny Awad

Editors

FoodLegal Bulletin


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.