MPI Hemp Seed Food Update and Fit for
Purpose Review – Send in your response now
The much anticipated MPI discussion document on the April 2017 variation to the food code, was finally released on May 10, with responses due by 20th June 2018.
Due to the delay in getting the discussion document out for public consultation, New Zealand will not have a green light for human consumption of hemp seed, until latter this year or early 2019!.
When it finally happens it will be great news for the consumers but it will be too late for the industry to scale up and plant more seed crops this season.
The approach in the discussion document is significantly incorrect and these shortcomings need to be raised with MPI and MOH
The NZHIA have prepared a response (copy here) which highlights the simple approach, we recommend to allowing hemp seed foods within the Food Act. Hemp food products are already covered as “Hemp Products” in the iHemp Regulations, so there is no need to amend our regulations. MPI simply have to incorporate the April 2017 variation in to the NZ Food Act 2015 and the job is done!,
We encourage you to email your feedback on the discussion document by 5pm on 20 June 2018 to food.policy@mpi.govt.nz Please let them know “we support the feedback document provided by the NZHIA ” and add your own comments and recommendations, we have provided some ideas here.
The “fit for purpose” review has missed all of industry’s concerns, which have been raised over the last 10 years. Instead of helping to enable the industry, MPI have followed the lead of MOH who want to add more control in to the iHemp Regulations, with recommendations that achieve very little and are not actually required.
The MOH are confused and need to reconsider their intent and interpretation of the regulations rather than making changes to them.
We applaud MPI for taking the initiative and trying to get a “fit for purpose” review done as part of the process to allow hemp seed for human consumption. However it could delay the food issue as the changes proposed by MOH are unacceptable to many in the iHemp industry.
MPI need to keep it simple and separate the two issues and get the food access sorted with urgency. Then encourage MOH to listen to industry and make the iHemp Regulations work as they were intended, and enable the development of a great new industry for New Zealand. |
