List of recommendations

Recommendation 1

7.4       The committee recommends that the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food (AS5812:2017) be made publically available on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources' website for download and distribution.

Recommendation 2

7.9       The committee recommends that, as part of its review into the safety and regulation of pet food, the working group focus on mechanisms to mandate pet food standards and labelling requirements in Australia. In particular, it should give serious consideration to amending the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 to expand the responsibilities of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to include pet food standards and labelling requirements.

7.10    The committee further recommends that the working group draft a national pet food manufacturing and safety policy framework for the consideration and endorsement of an appropriate forum such as the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation.

7.11    To inform its deliberations, the committee recommends that the working group take into account the evidence provided to this inquiry.

Recommendation 3

7.16    The committee recommends that the independent review working group identify specific measures to improve the efficacy of the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food (AS5812:2017). These measures should include specific requirements with regard to feeding trials and other testing prior to pet food sale as well as mandatory labelling standards that detail all ingredients including preservatives, additives, and which disclose heat, irradiation or other treatments to the product.

Recommendation 4

7.24    The committee recommends that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission review the process by which the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food (AS5812:2017) could become a mandatory standard under Australian Consumer Law and make public its review findings and any recommendations.

Recommendation 5

7.29    The committee recommends that the Australian Veterinary Association, in cooperation with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission explore measures to improve data capture in the PetFAST system. 

Recommendation 6

7.34    The committee recommends that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission establish a system for consumer reporting on its Product Safety Australia website, to enable members of the public to lodge complaints and concerns associated with pet food.

Recommendation 7

7.37    The committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the states and territories to establish a mechanism to investigate adverse pet food events and develop a complementary education campaign to raise awareness of the adverse pet food reporting, investigation and recall regime.

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