Food Safety

• Sydney Morning Herald, 6 March 2010:  "Made in Australia: if only it was sown and grown here"

The NSW Greens MP John Kaye blames what he describes as shortfalls in the system on the food industry, which turns over $100 billion annually in Australia and employs more than 315,000 people.

''There's a lot of power in the hands of the food importers and the multinational food industry,'' Mr Kaye said. ''They have always had a big say over what FSANZ does.

''It's the same reason why we don't label trans fats or brightly coloured food dyes, the same reason Australia is dragging the chain on front of label packaging, the same reason for all these things is the food industry is not interested.

''It doesn't want to reduce its profitability.''

• Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 2010:  "Hygine scorecard for eateries"
  

The move to adopt the scores in Brisbane will increase pressure on NSW to implement a similar system. The Greens MP John Kaye has already called for NSW to act.

"Thousands of food poisoning cases could be avoided by providing restaurant-goers with immediate and clear information on the results of hygiene inspections,'' said Dr Kaye, a long-time campaigner on increased transparency in food safety.

• Sydney Morning Herald, 18 January 2010:  "Fears for sick, elderly in food safety overhaul"
  

A Greens MP, John Kaye, said: ''This is a big step down the road to completely privatising food safety regulation for these high-risk businesses and it is the people in nursing homes, hospitals and respite care who will suffer the consequences.

''The Government is cleverly avoiding the need to hire more food safety auditors at the Food Authority and it is also receiving a nice fat $880 fee from private auditors seeking accreditation.''

• Sydney Morning Herald, 20 December 2009: "Spot the difference: the merits of turmeric against ponceau"

The NSW Greens MP John Kaye said FSANZ had contradicted the findings of its own survey by admitting that some children did react to some food colourings.

"[FSANZ] is refusing to admit that these dyes have no nutritional value and that removing them from the diet would save a large number of children from attention disorders," Dr Kaye said. "FSANZ is playing statistical games with the health of this nation's children."

• Sydney Morning Herald, 18 July 2009: "Pesticide 'safe' Pesticide 'safe', says industry- funded body
  

• Sydney Morning Herald, 23 November 2008: "Schools see red on dangerous food colourings"
  

Greens MP John Kaye said: "it was time for a thorough audit of canteen product registration lists. "All products containing these dangerous dyes should be thrown off the registered list," Dr Kaye said. "The NSW School Canteen Association needs to act quickly to clean up this mess by demanding that all manufacturers on their registration list reveal their product contents."

•  ABC News 18 November

Greens demand school slushie ban

Greens MP John Kaye says the Canteen Association has also approved a chocolate muffin and a different slush drink, which contain the same food colourings as the original slushie.

"The whole canteen registration and food regulation in Australia has failed in its obligation to protect children," he said.

He says all products containing the additives should be banned from school canteens.

"We're calling for the NSW Canteen Association to investigate all the products on their list, to insist that all the manufacturers of all of the products on their list put the full content list on their websites and those that contain these bright artificial colourings are banned from school canteens," he said. 

• Sydney Morning Herald, 15 Nov

Diet experts go cold on icy canteen treat

The NSW Greens MP Dr John Kaye said canteen associations were not to blame. Along with the Greens, the lobby group has accused the Federal Government of neglecting its duty to protect children's health by not proposing a similar ban. "These slushies are sold to the students with no labelling and no warnings. The problem lies with the nation's food ministers who have failed to enforce warnings on all products containing these dyes."