A Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was signed today.
ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, and the Chief Executive Officer of FSANZ, Mr Graham Peachey signed the agreement in Canberra.
The MOU provides a framework for cooperation when issues of responsibility overlap and more importantly will allow both agencies to take advantage of opportunities to assist each other with food regulatory and trade practices compliance activities.
"Our agencies will work together to ensure that misleading and deceptive practices in the food sector receive a nationally coordinated approach, particularly important when consumers spend in excess of $75 billion annually on food, representing 45 per cent of total Australian retail consumer spending", Mr Samuel said. "“We will work together, sharing knowledge and resources, particularly in relation to promoting trade practices compliance within the new food regulatory trans-Tasman framework".