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, selecion 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.
• wherver 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.