Australia New Zealand Food Authority Food Standards Matters at Inquiry The authority has completed a full assessment of the following application and will now conduct an inquiry. Reduced fat peanut butter and peanut paste (A297). This application was received on 14 December 1995 from Kraft Foods Limited to include provisions for reduced fat peanut butter in Standard M2 Peanut Butter or Peanut Paste. Instead of preparing a standard for reduced fat peanut butter, the authority proposes to delete the requirement that peanut butter contain 850 g/kg of peanuts and retain the requirement that peanut butter contain 200 g/kg of protein. The authority also proposes that the amount of vegetable oils permitted to be added to peanut butter be limited to 150 g/kg. The authority has prepared a draft variation to Standard M2 Peanut Butter or Peanut Paste. Please send written submissions on matters relevant to the inquiry to one of the addresses below. Matters Before Council The authority developed the following proposal under section 21 of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Act 1991, and has recommended that the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council adopt a draft variation to the Food Standards Code. The authority decided, under section 37 of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Act 1991, to make its recommendation in relation to this proposal as a matter of urgency to avoid compromising an objective set out in section 10 of the Act, namely objective (d) the promotion of trade and commerce in the food industry. It decided to: omit to invite public submissions on the proposal as would otherwise be required by section 22 of the Act; and omit to publish in the Gazette and in a newspaper circulating in each state or territory, the notice following preparation of a draft variation as would otherwise be required by section 24 of the Act. Under section 37 of the Act, if the council adopts the draft variation, then as soon as practicable after the adoption, the authority must hold an inquiry under section 24 of the Act, into the draft variation as if that variation had been the subject of a full assessment under section 23 and were a draft variation prepared under that section. Review of the maximum permitted concentration for cadmium in peanuts (P148). The authority has developed a proposal to vary the maximum permitted concentration (MPC) of cadmium in peanuts imported into, or sold in, Australia from the current level of 0.05 mg/kg to a level of 0.1 mg/kg. The existing level, while met by domestic producers, creates problems for importers who source products from countries which produce peanuts with higher cadmium levels, typically in the range 0.050.1 mg/kg. Australian producers cannot meet the full industry demand for peanuts, so it is necessary to import some product to meet the shortfall. The authority assessed the proposal and prepared a draft variation to Standard A12 Metals and Contaminants in Food, to give effect to its proposal. You can get more information on these matters from either address below: Standards Liaison Officer Australia New Zealand Food Authority P.O. Box 7186 CANBERRA MAIL CENTRE ACT 2610 AUSTRALIA Telephone: (00 61 06) 271 2219 Facsimile: (00 61 06) 271 2278 or Standards Liaison Officer Australia New Zealand Food Authority P.O. Box 10-559 The Terrace WELLINGTON 6036 NEW ZEALAND Telephone: (04) 473 9942 Facsimile: (04) 473 9855