New guidance and a supporting template are now available to help food importers understand, carry out, and document safety and suitability assessments before importing food into New Zealand.
Safety and suitability assessments are an important part of ensuring imported food is safe, suitable, and complies with New Zealand food requirements. The new guidance provides an overview of what importers need to consider and a practical approach to completing an assessment. The accompanying template can be used to record assessment outcomes and supporting information.
The guidance and template will help importers to:
- Understand how to carry out a safety and suitability assessment
- Assess whether imported food is safe and suitable
- Document assessment outcomes and supporting information
Food importers must assess and confirm safety and suitability of imported food
