Update from Vincent Arbuckle, DDG, NZFS

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to the April 2025 edition of Food News.

Earlier this month, I attended the 6^th annual meeting of the International Heads of Food Agencies Forum (IHFAF) in Chile. The meeting centered on the theme "Innovation, Technology and Digital Transformation in Food Safety" and brought together leaders from food safety agencies around the world. We discussed strategies for leveraging technologies to enhance global food safety systems. I presented on the use of artificial intelligence in food safety regulation focussing on an early pilot project involving carcass inspection. The presentation generated strong interest among delegates, reflecting growing global interest about how such technologies may be integrated into inspection systems.

New Zealand’s food safety system and regulatory model are widely respected internationally. As technology continues to evolve at pace, so too must the systems that underpin safe and suitable food - particularly in the context of New Zealand’s export-focused economy. The forum reinforced that food safety agencies worldwide are actively considering both the opportunities and challenges posed by innovations like artificial intelligence.

As these technologies develop, it will be important for food safety systems to remain adaptable and robust. New Zealand Food Safety’s (NZFS) engagement with businesses and stakeholders to trial new approaches in a food safety context will help manage these developments. By staying both alert to innovation and grounded in risk-based thinking, NZFS will ensure New Zealand’s well-functioning food safety system remains trusted, resilient, and capable of supporting a thriving food economy well into the future.

Ngā mihi nui,

Vincent Arbuckle
Deputy Director-General, New Zealand Food Safety

Vincent with other heads of food agencies at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago.

Operating as a Mobile Business

Some councils have expressed uncertainty about which registration authority is responsible when it comes to mobile businesses. The registration authority involved depends on the type of risk-based measure. 

A mobile business is a food seller such as a market stall or a food truck, that does not have fixed premises. They might operate within one council region, or in multiple regions nationwide. The mobile business must register their business address at their “home-base”. The home-base could be the home address where the business owner lives, or it could be an alternative business address.

Mobile business operating under a section 39 template FCP (Simply, Safe & Suitable)

The registration authority is the local council of the “home-base”. See Food Act section 52.

If the mobile business operates in one council region, that council will also carry out the verification.

But if the mobile business operates in more than one council region, the council will not have the exclusive right to verify that business under section 137 of the Food Act. Therefore, a mobile business that operates in more than one council region must choose their verification agency from the MPI list of recognised agencies.

Mobile business operating under a national programme

The registration authority is the local council of the “home-base”. See Food Regulations clause 43. The mobile business must choose their verification agency from the MPI list of recognised agencies.

Mobile business operating under a section 40 template FCP or custom FCP

The registration authority is MPI. The mobile business must choose their verification agency from the MPI list of recognised agencies.

Continuing Professional Development Drop-in Q&A sessions

In March, the NZFS Capability team ran two online sessions for verifiers and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) managers. We responded to questions about the CPD programme and the Academy, with 130 people in attendance across both sessions. The questions and answers were documented and are available on the Academy on the NZFS Event Resources page. Later this year, similar sessions will be run to cover the final step of the CPD programme, the peer review.

Timecard details now viewable for CPD managers

A recent update to the CPD manager dashboard in the Academy means managers can now see the timecard details for the verifiers they manage. This information will help managers to see how their verifiers are tracking in their learning across the year. If you are a CPD manager, you can log on to the Academy and visit the dashboard to see this new section at the bottom of the page. You can also export the information to Excel.

Collaborate and earn CPD points with Academy resources

Verifiers can earn CPD points by completing many different types of learning activities, not just modules on the Academy. Here is a recent example of a verifier who utilised an Academy resource when creating a guidance document on verifying businesses making kefir (fermented milk) for their organisation.

The verifier:

• compared the New Zealand standards against food safety guidance produced in Canada (found in the Academy’s Find Learning – Reading directory);
• identified any differences in standards and best practices;
• developed a specific guide for their organisation; and
• sought out another verifier to undertake a peer review of the resulting guide.

This is a great example of collaboration among verifiers and both verifiers earned CPD points. Their efforts also benefit other verifiers in their organisation. The Find Learning - Reading directory holds over 140 articles, webpages, and guidance documents on food safety related topics. The Find Learning directories, as well as other Academy pages such as the Case Study Library and the Verifier Discussion Forum, provide many resources and opportunities for verifiers to learn, collaborate, and earn CPD points. 

Emerging food allergy risk webinar series

Food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators will see a continuing increase in the number of consumers who are managing food allergies. This year, the NZFS Emerging Risk team will host a series of webinars on emerging allergens and food allergies, inviting leading experts to present their research.

Join us for the first in the Emerging Food Allergy Risk Webinar Series:

Food Allergy Frontiers: Unravelling the Science and Advancing New Treatments

12-1pm NZST, Thursday 1 May

Dr Cecilia Berin, Bunning Professor of Food Allergy Research, Northwestern University, Illinois, United States

Click here to register

Save the date for other webinars in this series:

• 11am-12pm, Thursday 29 May NZST;
• 11am-12pm, Wednesday 23 July NZST;
• 12-1pm, Thursday 14 August NZST.

Subscribe to the regular Food Safety Insights, Emerging Risks and Current Issues bulletin. Speakers, topics, and registration details are circulated through the bulletin, which also regularly includes developments and learnings on food allergen risks.