New Zealand Food Safety advances plan to reduce campylobacteriosis

New Zealand Food Safety is out with a risk-based action plan for the next year that incorporates a whole-of-food chain approach to the identification, selection and implementation of new control measures to significantly reduce the foodborne campylobacteriosis burden in New Zealand.

The Action Plan includes: prioritization of selected actions for immediate evaluation/implementation; identification of a further list of potential control measures on the basis of current knowledge, and establishing a framework for their systematic evaluation, prioritization and implementation; setting of a public health improvement goal for the reduction of foodborne campylobacteriosis; and a lead-in to medium-term control measures that will likely be implemented in out-years 2022-2023.

Under the plan, New Zealand Food Safety will be primarily responsible for agreed actions and reporting against the work schedule. Industry will have responsibility for implementing both legislated and non-legislated actions.

The Action Plan includes:

- prioritization of selected actions for immediate evaluation/implementation;
- identification of a further list of potential control measures on the basis of current knowledge, and establishing a framework for their systematic evaluation, prioritisation and implementation;
- setting of a public health improvement goal for the reduction of foodborne campylobacteriosis; and
- a lead-in to medium-term control measures that will likely be implemented in out-years 2022-2023.

New Zealand Plan principles:

The Action Plan will continue to be progressed collectively with government, industry and other interested parties.
A set of immediate actions will be complemented by a parallel set of medium-term actions that evolve from collaborative workshops.
A whole-of-food chain approach will be taken in identification and selection of possible control measures, which will be initially categorised as follows:
- those based on good hygienic practice; or
- those that are hazard-based; or
- those that are risk-based.
Wherever possible and practical, actions and implementation of control measures will be on the basis of risk assessment and estimated levels of risk reduction (risk-based measures). However, some measures will likely be selected on the basis of reduction in levels of contamination at different steps in the food chain (hazard-based measures) and some will likely be selected qualitatively on the basis of good hygienic practice.
Risk management decisions on control measures will include inputs on the level of scientific justification (as above), practicality and likely costs.
Progress will be subject to formal reporting, including performance against any regulatory targets and the public health goal.