This Act, consisting of 137 sections divided into twelve Parts and completed by two Schedules, aims at ensuring food for sale both safe and suitable for human consumption, preventing misleading conduct in connection with the sale of food and at providing for the application in this jurisdiction of the Food Standards Code. The Act consists of the following Parts: Preliminary (1); Offences relating to food (2); Emergency powers (3); Inspection and seizure powers (4); Improvement notices and prohibition orders (5); Taking and analysis of samples (6); Auditing (6A); Notification and registration of food businesses (7); Administration (8); Procedural and evidentiary provisions (9); Infringement notices (10); Regulatory provisions (11); Miscellaneous (12). The Act prescribes offences relating to: the handling of food in an unsafe manner; sale of unsafe food; false description of food; misleading conduct relating to sale of food; sale of unfit equipment or packaging or labelling material; etc. The Director of Public Health, a council or an authorized officer may make an emergency order to prevent or reduce the possibility of a serious danger to public health or to mitigate the adverse consequences of a serious danger to public health. The Act requires the proprietor of food businesses to give written notice to the council of the municipal area in which it is located before conducting any business and requires food businesses to be registered. The Act further provides for: general functions and powers of the Director of Public Health; functions and powers of councils; appointment of authorized officers; offences; etc.
Australia · 2003-04-16