An era ends
After more than 100 years, responsibility for food legislation is to pass from the portfolio to a new agency Safe Food Production NSW (SafeFood). Concurrently, food inspectors are leaving NSW Health to join SafeFood, which is located at Newington. Presented here is a brief history of the evolution of food inspection in New South Wales.
The NSW Public Health Act 1896 gave the NSW Board of Health power to establish 'standards of strength and purity for articles of general consumption', to appoint analysts, and 'to cause to be made such enquiries as it thinks fit in relation to any matters concerning the public health'. Inspectors under the new Act, previously known as 'inspectors of nuisances', were renamed 'sanitary inspectors'. Within the first month of the Act's commencement, standards had been adopted for milk, butter, tea, vinegar, brandy, whisky, rum, and gin. Local authority sanitary inspectors were charged with implementing the food inspection provisions of the NSW Public Health Act 1896, including the taking and submission of samples for analysis.
The NSW Pure Food Act 1908 was passed in response to concerns about the general lack of interest in food inspection shown by local councils. The Act gave responsibility for its administration and enforcement to the NSW Board of Health, and came into effect on 1 July 1909. The first food inspector, Charles Victor Francis, was appointed on 14 October 1909 on a salary of £175 per annum.
The first Chief Food Inspector, Arthur Kench, was recruited from Leichhardt Council and commenced duties on 1 November 1909. His efforts to 'clean up' the food industry in New South Wales are legendary. His team of inspectors, known as the 'Flying 13', featured frequently in the newspapers of the day. The commencing salary for the Chief Food Inspector was £250 per annum, compared with the Chief Medical Officer at £1000 per annum and a junior messenger on £33/10/- per annum.
Walter (Wal) James Madgwick was the longest serving Chief Food Inspector, from 1952 to 1974 (he had joined the public service in 1923 a few days before his 14th birthday). Wal experienced enormous changes in the food industry during his time as Chief Food Inspector, and helped to generate substantial changes to food legislation. Although the first national forum for the creation of uniform food standards was held in 1910, the National Health and Medical Research Council began the development of what was to become the Food Standards Code in 1965. Wal was a major player in this national process of elaboration of food law, and a highly respected figure in the food industry. He was later presented with the British Empire Medal for his services to food inspection.
While the regionalisation of health services had commenced in 1898, with the appointment of a Medical Officer of Health in Newcastle, food inspection services were not regionalised until 1953, at which time a senior food inspector was stationed in the Newcastle Health District. As other health districts were formed, senior food inspectors were gradually relocated from Sydney. By 1972, under the jurisdiction of what was then the NSW Health Commission, nearly all food inspectors were located in regional offices under the control of regional directors, while three food inspectors were retained in a Central Administration Branch.
In 1992, after a number of administrative changes, food inspectors were subsequently transferred from the NSW Department of Health to public health units within the area health services, leaving a small policy unit within the Department. This policy unit is now co-located with SafeFood at Newington.
The NSW Pure Food Act 1908 remained in force with many amendments until it was finally replaced by the NSW Food Act 1989, which was based on a 'model' food act of the time. The 1989 Act has not shown the longevity of the 1908 Act and has already been replaced by the NSW Food Act 2003, which is due to come into effect in February 2004. The new Act will remain under the health portfolio for a few months only, until the new agency commences its operations.
In 1998 the review of food administration in New South Wales, required by Section 73 of the NSW Food Production (Safety) Act, led to the amalgamation of the NSW Dairy Corporation and the NSW Meat Industry Authority. This review culminated in the state government's announcement of the establishment of a new food agency, to be known as the NSW Food Authority, commencing in 2004 and based at Newington. The announcement can be seen at www.safefood.nsw.gov.au.
Safe Food will maintain close contact with NSW Health, particularly with respect to outbreaks of foodborne disease. NSW Health will retain responsibility for the surveillance and monitoring of foodborne disease and will investigate foodborne disease outbreaks; SafeFood will investigate food industry practices associated with outbreaks.
This web page is managed and authorised by Media & Communications of the NSW Department of Health. Last updated: 27 March, 2009