What recent changes, if any, have been made to the way New Zealand Food Safety manages food imports?

Answer

New Zealand Food Safety continues to strengthen its oversight of imported food through its risk-based imported food regulatory system. This includes enhanced monitoring of registered food importers and imported foods, supported by the Food Importer Levy introduced following Cabinet decisions in 2024. The levy provides sustainable funding for imported food regulatory services and was introduced, in part, in response to recommendations from the Office of the Auditor-General concerning the monitoring of importers of specified high-risk foods. New Zealand Food Safety also regularly reviews imported food requirements and adjusts controls where this is warranted by the available evidence.