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In 1995 The Agreement between the Government of New Zealand and the Government of Australia Establishing a System for the Development of Joint Food Standards (1995) (‘The Food Treaty’) established the joint Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) to develop food standards for both countries – the first Australia/New Zealand bi-national agency. (This was renamed Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) in 2002.). A Joint Food Code was agreed by the Health Ministers of New Zealand and the Australian Commonwealth and States and Territories in November 2000, and came into force on 20 December 2002.
The objectives of The Food Treaty are: to reduce unnecessary barriers to trade; to adopt a joint system for the development and promulgation of food standards; to provide for the timely development, adoption, and review of food standards appropriate for both member States; and to facilitate the sharing of information between the member States on matters relating to food. The Agreement also gives both countries greater joint influence in the establishment of international food standards. The Food Treaty, and the joint system itself, undergo five-yearly reviews of operation. The last review was undertaken in 2006.
Beyond providing for the improved alignment of trans-Tasman standards, the joint system has also supported a significant increase in the trans-Tasman trade in food products, with New Zealand food exports to Australia increasing 70 percent in the period between 1999 and 2005. During the same period, New Zealand food exports to the rest of the world increased by only 27 percent. Figures for New Zealand food exports to Australia for the period 2005-2009 show a further increase of over 50percent.
