Western Pacific Regional Food Safety Strategy (2011-2015)
Risk-based regulatory frameworks
Collaboration of all stakeholders along the food chain continuum is essential to ensure a comprehensive and integrated approach to safe and healthy food. The primary responsibility for the production of safe food is that of food businesses. Each food business must ensure that control systems are in place to prevent, eliminate or reduce risks to consumers to acceptable levels at all stages of the food chain continuum for which they have responsibility, and that legislative requirements are met by such systems.
To complement and support the efforts of food businesses, national governments must organize and implement adequate and effective regulatory frameworks. Regulatory frameworks include:
- primary legislation that includes definitions, roles and responsibilities, and also the principles of food control;
- food regulations and standards that define the rules that regulate the production, processing, storage, distribution, marketing, import/export and sale of food, reflecting food safety, noncommunicable disease and micronutrient deficiency issues; and
- codes of practice that assist food businesses in implementing the regulations and standards by identifying acceptable controls.
The development of food regulatory measures should be based on the best available scientific evidence and data, and should be managed and communicated appropriately. Codex Alimentarius provides international food standards which can be utilised at a national level in the development of food regulations and standards.