---

Safe food supply for Australia

Every two years the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), in partnership with the Australian State and Territory health authorities, assesses a comprehensive range of ready-to-consume food to determine the levels of any pesticide residues and contaminants they may contain. These findings are published as Australian Market Basket Surveys.

The 1996 survey, which covers the period 1996-98, indicates that Australia's food supply is among the safest in the world and that the level of pesticide residues and contaminants in its food are well within the safety standards set by health authorities, both here and overseas.

Food is sampled in three categories, core, regional and national. In the latest survey twenty-eight composite samples were analysed for each of the following core foods: apples, beef, bread, eggs, lamb's liver, lettuce, potatoes and human milk.

Regional foods are those which may show regional variation in residue and contaminant levels and include meat, vegetables and fruit. Twenty-one samples were analysed for each of twenty-six regional foods.

Examples of national foods include corn flakes, canned tuna and infant cereal. They are distributed nationwide from a small number of outlets and are not expected to show regional variation. In the 1996 survey nine composite samples were analysed for each of forty-two national foods.

Information from the survey assists the review process for some standards of the Food Standards Code, including Standard A12, Metals and Contaminants in Food and Standard A14, Maximum Residue Limits.

Copies of the Australian Market Basket Survey may be purchased from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

---

Prepared by Keith Richardson and Beverley George
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au