Thank you for being part of this special event today.

It is certainly a special event for the Government. It is not every day that Government creates a new authority, or one of such importance.

This Government is committed to a strong focus on food safety, which is why we decided to establish the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

The lack of consistency and coordination, increasing consumer concern about domestic food safety, and the high incidence of food borne illness in New Zealand acted as a catalyst for change.

We are committed to protecting consumers and enhancing New Zealand’s position as a trusted food supplier.

Food is a multi-billion dollar business in New Zealand. There are more than 30,000 businesses selling, manufacturing or processing food.

More than 50 percent of New Zealand’s export earnings come from food or food-related exports. That’s about $11 billion a year, and that makes food safety so important.

New Zealand is known for the leading edge approach it has taken in food safety management for foods exported from this country.

There was a real need to bring together the roles of both domestic and export food safety management.

The new agency brings together the skills and expertise of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Health.

Through the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, this country will have a world-leading food regulatory programme that commands the confidence of all stakeholders.

The Government believes that both the food industry and consumers will benefit from a single agency dealing with food safety.

For consumers, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority will provide a greater level of confidence in the food we buy, because all food producers must meet required standards.

The Authority will take a risk-based approach to food safety covering food production and processing from the farm or sea to the shop shelf. It relies on Government acting as the regulator and setting appropriate standards – in consultation with stakeholders.

It will provide a strong co-ordinated approach to reducing the incidence of food-borne illness and managing food related risks from the farm or sea to the consumers’ plate within New Zealand.

Having the management of food safety issues under the umbrella of one agency will reduce duplication and inconsistencies between Government departments.

Increasingly people want a voice on food issues. Food industry and consumer input will be sought through the Food Safety Advisory Board, which will soon be established and will provide independent advice to me as the Minister responsible for food safety.

Under this model, the industry will be responsible for producing safe food and will have to prove they are doing the right thing.

The Government will act as the regulator setting appropriate standards and auditing and enforcing these. In time, however, rigid prescriptive standards will make way for standards that best suit the needs of producers.

The industry will be given flexibility for processing innovation but must ensure maximum protection for consumers.

People today want more information on the food they eat.

This Government, as part of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (which has replaced ANZFA), has put in place the most comprehensive food labelling regime in the world.

Labelling information, in particular the requirement to have a nutrition information panel on virtually all packaged food, allows consumers to make informed choices when selecting food.

Recent research shows that people generally read labels more at some points of life than others. For example, label reading is thought to become more important either when a woman becomes pregnant, has children, or if a family member develops a specific health problem that requires a change in diet.

All genetically modified (GM) food, under the regime put in place in 2001, must be labelled to ensure consumers have as much information as possible about the content of the food they eat and GM food in New Zealand must comply with international standards set by the World Health Organization and Codex Alimentarius.

The role of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand will now be under the Food Safety Authority.

This Government takes food issues, food information and food safety very seriously and I am confident New Zealand, through the Food Safety Authority, will boast a world leading food regulatory programme.

I would like to thank everybody who has worked so hard in establishing this Authority and wish everybody involved in it well for the future.

Please enjoy the meal, and rest assured that the food you are about to receive is perfectly safe to eat!

And rest assured also that you couldn’t be eating it in safer company than with the Minister for Food Safety. Thank you all once again for joining me on this special occasion.