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This is a Bill, not an Act. For current law, see the Acts databases.


FOOD AMENDMENT (TRANS FATTY ACIDS ERADICATION) BILL 2008





                           New South Wales




Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids
Eradication) Bill 2008


Contents

                                                            Page
              1    Name of Act                                 2
              2    Commencement                                2
              3    Amendment of Food Act 2003 No 43            2
              4    Repeal of Act                               2
     Schedule 1    Amendments                                  3




b2008-001-06.d13
                             New South Wales




Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids
Eradication) Bill 2008
No     , 2008


A Bill for

An Act to amend the Food Act 2003 with respect to trans fatty acids in food; and for
other purposes.
Clause 1          Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008




The Legislature of New South Wales enacts:                                                1

 1    Name of Act                                                                         2

               This Act is the Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication)             3
               Act 2008.                                                                  4

 2    Commencement                                                                        5

               This Act commences on the date of assent to this Act.                      6

 3    Amendment of Food Act 2003 No 43                                                    7

               The Food Act 2003 is amended as set out in Schedule 1.                     8

 4    Repeal of Act                                                                       9

         (1)   This Act is repealed on the day following the day on which this Act       10
               commences.                                                                11

         (2)   The repeal of this Act does not, because of the operation of section 30   12
               of the Interpretation Act 1987, affect any amendment made by this Act.    13




Page 2
Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008

Amendments                                                                 Schedule 1




Schedule 1             Amendments                                                            1

                                                                              (Section 3)    2

[1]   Section 4 Definitions                                                                  3

      Insert in alphabetical order in section 4 (1):                                         4
                    restaurant means any eating place at which food is sold and              5
                    includes a take away food shop (whether or not provision is made         6
                    for food to be eaten at the shop by purchasers).                         7
                    trans fatty acids has the meaning given by section 10.                   8

[2]   Section 10                                                                             9

      Insert after section 9:                                                               10

       10    Meaning of "trans fatty acids"                                                 11

             (1)    In this Act, trans fatty acids means unsaturated fatty acids that       12
                    contain one or more isolated or non-conjugated double bonds in          13
                    a trans-configuration.                                                  14

             (2)    For the purposes of this Act, food is taken not to contain trans        15
                    fatty acids if trans fatty acids are present in the food only because   16
                    they occur naturally in the food or they occur naturally in a           17
                    substance that has been added to the food.                              18

[3]   Part 2, Division 2A                                                                   19

      Insert after Division 2 of Part 2:                                                    20

      Division 2A          Offences relating to trans fatty acids in food                   21

      23A    Labelling requirements relating to trans fatty acids in packaged               22
             food                                                                           23

             (1)    A person must not sell packaged food, or advertise packaged food        24
                    for sale, that contains trans fatty acids unless the packaged food      25
                    is labelled in a manner that clearly indicates:                         26
                     (a) in the statement of ingredients required by the Food               27
                           Standards Code, that the food contains trans fatty acids,        28
                           and                                                              29
                    (b) in the nutrition information panel required by the Food             30
                           Standards Code, trans fatty acids contained in the food          31
                           separately listed from other fats contained in the food, and     32




                                                                                Page 3
                Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008

Schedule 1      Amendments




                   (c)   a warning that the consumption of trans fatty acids is a         1
                         health hazard.                                                   2
                   Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units in the case of an individual        3
                   and 2,500 penalty units in the case of a corporation.                  4

             (2)   This section is declared to be a law to which section 15 of the        5
                   Mutual Recognition Act 1992 of the Commonwealth applies.               6

             (3)   This section is, for the purposes of section 46 of the                 7
                   Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the                        8
                   Commonwealth, declared to be a law that is exempt from the             9
                   operation of that Act.                                                10

             (4)   This section has effect on and from the date that is 3 months after   11
                   its commencement.                                                     12

             (5)   Subsection (1) ceases to have effect on the date on which section     13
                   23C first has effect.                                                 14

             (6)   In this section, packaged food does not include food that is sold     15
                   as ready to eat and that is packaged by:                              16
                    (a) a restaurant that prepared it, or                                17
                   (b) a business that delivers the food to premises specified by a      18
                          purchaser of the food.                                         19
                   Note. Subsections (2) and (3) provide exemptions from the mutual      20
                   recognition principles relating to goods contained in the Mutual      21
                   Recognition Act 1992 of the Commonwealth and the Trans-Tasman         22
                   Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the Commonwealth. Those                23
                   Commonwealth Acts provide that any such exemptions do not have        24
                   effect for a period of more than 12 months.                           25

     23B     Information to be displayed about trans fatty acids in ready to eat         26
             food                                                                        27

             (1)   A person in charge of a restaurant must ensure that, if food sold     28
                   by the restaurant contains trans fatty acids, the presence of the     29
                   trans fatty acids and a warning that the consumption of trans fatty   30
                   acids is a health hazard, is clearly indicated:                       31
                    (a) in a menu given to, or displayed for, prospective                32
                          purchasers of the food at the restaurant, or                   33
                   (b) on a sign or signs prominently displayed at the restaurant        34
                          in a way that would be noticeable to prospective               35
                          purchasers of the food.                                        36
                   Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units in the case of an individual       37
                   and 2,500 penalty units in the case of a corporation.                 38




Page 4
Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008

Amendments                                                                Schedule 1




             (2)    A person in charge of a business that:                                  1
                     (a) delivers food that is prepared at a restaurant to premises         2
                          specified by a purchaser of the food, and                         3
                    (b) distributes or makes available a menu to prospective                4
                          purchasers of the food,                                           5
                    must ensure that, if the food contains trans fatty acids, the           6
                    presence of the trans fatty acids and a warning that the                7
                    consumption of trans fatty acids is a health hazard is clearly          8
                    indicated in the menu.                                                  9
                    Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units in the case of an individual        10
                    and 2,500 penalty units in the case of a corporation.                  11

             (3)    It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence under subsection (2)   12
                    against a person in charge of a business that delivers the food (but   13
                    does not prepare the food) if the person establishes that any menu     14
                    distributed or made available to prospective purchasers of the         15
                    food was provided or authorised by the person in charge of the         16
                    business that prepared the food for delivery.                          17

             (4)    This section has effect on and from the date that is 3 months after    18
                    its commencement.                                                      19

             (5)    This section ceases to have effect on the date on which section        20
                    23C first has effect.                                                  21

     23C     Prohibition on sale and handling of food containing trans fatty               22
             acids                                                                         23

             (1)    A person must not handle food intended for sale in a manner that       24
                    causes the food to contain trans fatty acids.                          25
                    Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units in the case of an individual        26
                    and 2,500 penalty units in the case of a corporation.                  27

             (2)    A person must not sell food, or advertise food for sale, that          28
                    contains trans fatty acids.                                            29
                    Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units in the case of an individual        30
                    and 2,500 penalty units in the case of a corporation.                  31

             (3)    This section is declared to be a law to which section 15 of the        32
                    Mutual Recognition Act 1992 of the Commonwealth applies.               33

             (4)    This section is, for the purposes of section 46 of the                 34
                    Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the                        35
                    Commonwealth, declared to be a law that is exempt from the             36
                    operation of that Act.                                                 37




                                                                               Page 5
                 Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008

Schedule 1       Amendments




              (5)   This section has effect on and from the date that is 2 years after     1
                    its commencement.                                                      2
                    Note. Subsections (3) and (4) provide exemptions from the mutual       3
                    recognition principles relating to goods contained in the Mutual       4
                    Recognition Act 1992 of the Commonwealth and the Trans-Tasman          5
                    Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the Commonwealth. Those                 6
                    Commonwealth Acts provide that any such exemptions do not have         7
                    effect for a period of more than 12 months.                            8

[4]    Section 28 Defence in respect of handling of food                                   9

       Insert at the end of section 28:                                                   10

              (2)   In any proceedings for an offence under section 23C (1), it is a      11
                    defence if it is proved that the person caused the food to which      12
                    the offence relates to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of          13
                    immediately upon becoming aware that the food contained trans         14
                    fatty acids.                                                          15

[5]    Section 133I                                                                       16

       Insert before section 134:                                                         17

      133I   Ministers' duty to promote control and eradication of trans fatty            18
             acids in food                                                                19

              (1)   It is the duty of the Minister for Primary Industries and the         20
                    Minister for Health to use their best endeavours to ensure that,      21
                    within 6 months after the commencement of this section (or, if        22
                    that period is not practicable, within such period as is              23
                    practicable), a proposed resolution is listed for consideration by    24
                    the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial             25
                    Council that contains proposals to the effect of the following:       26
                     (a) that the Food Standards Code should be amended to                27
                            require, on and from 3 months after the amendment, the        28
                            labelling of packaged food intended for sale in Australia     29
                            that contains trans fatty acids,                              30
                    (b) that any such labelling should clearly indicate:                  31
                             (i) in the statement of ingredients required by the Food     32
                                   Standards Code, that the food contains trans fatty     33
                                   acids, and                                             34
                            (ii) in the nutrition information panel required by the       35
                                   Food Standards Code, trans fatty acids contained in    36
                                   the food separately listed from other fats contained   37
                                   in the food, and                                       38
                           (iii) a warning that the consumption of trans fatty acids      39
                                   is a health hazard,                                    40




Page 6
Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Bill 2008

Amendments                                                                  Schedule 1




                    (c)    that the Food Standards Code should be amended to                   1
                           provide that, on and from 2 years after the amendment,              2
                           food intended for sale in Australia must not contain trans          3
                           fatty acids.                                                        4

             (2)    It is the duty of the Minister for Primary Industries and the              5
                    Minister for Health:                                                       6
                     (a) to support the proposed resolution referred to in subsection          7
                           (1) and, if either of those Ministers is entitled to vote on the    8
                           proposed resolution on behalf of the State, to cast the vote        9
                           in favour of the proposed resolution, and                          10
                    (b) to make representations to the Commonwealth                           11
                           Government to consider prohibiting the importation of              12
                           food into Australia that does not comply with the proposals        13
                           contained in subsection (1).                                       14

[6]   Schedule 2 Savings, transitional and other provisions                                   15

      Insert at the end of clause 1 (1):                                                      16

                    Food Amendment (Trans Fatty Acids Eradication) Act 2008                   17




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