As of February 1st, the Laboratories Approved for Testing Imported Food has come into force and replaced Part Four, Schedule Three of the current Importing Food Notice. It lists the approved laboratories and all the conditions for their approval and is renewed for three years.
The Requirements for Registered Importers and Imported Food for Sale Notice also comes into effect later this year (August 1st). It will replace the remaining sections of the Importing Food Notice.
It includes requirements for food importers regarding the assessment and confirmation of the safety and suitability of food for import, transport, storage and record-keeping in New Zealand. It clarifies the different types of evidence that may be used for clearance of high regulatory and increased regulatory foods. It includes changes to the Food Safety Clearance import requirements for bovine meat and bovine meat products. Finally, it updates the formatting of the import requirements for all other foods classed as High Regulatory Interest and Increased Regulatory Interest to help importers better understand the requirements.
