Implementation Sub Committee (ISC)

The Implementation Sub-Committee (ISC)

The Implementation Sub-Committee (ISC) is a sub committee of the Food Regulation Standing Committee. Its role is to develop and oversee a consistent approach across jurisdictions to implementation and enforcement of food regulations and standards, regardless of whether food is sourced from domestic producers, export-registered establishments or from imports.

In achieving the above, ISC shall develop, or assist in developing, guidelines and other tools to aid in the consistent implementation of food regulations and standards.

The remit of ISC is to consider consistent approaches to implementation matters for food regulation or food standards across Australia, and where appropriate New Zealand. See the ISC Terms of Reference (PDF 75 KB) for more information.

ISC is not a food regulation policy body, a standards setting body or a regulatory authority in its own right. ISC is a mechanism whereby Australian and New Zealand food regulators may discuss common approaches to the implementation of food regulation or food standards and develop tools to assist in achieving consistent implementation. However, there will always be matters of detail in implementation that are solely the responsibility of jurisdictions (e.g. fees and charges), as the drivers for these issues are outside the remit of the current national food regulatory system (e.g. regional, economic and policy matters unique to jurisdictions).

The outcome to be achieved by jurisdictions in the food regulatory environment through ISC is national consistency in the implementation of benchmarks provided by national standards or regulations. This means that all jurisdictions agree that all food standards and regulations will be implemented, However it does not mean that all matters if details concerning how national benchmarks are implemented must be uniform.

ISC, through comprehensive evaluation tools, employs a system of continuous improvement to the tools and frameworks that it creates to assist in achieving national consistency in implementation of national benchmarks. These tools are supported by performance indicators to allow the value provided by ISC to the food regulation system to be measured and reported against.

ISC is also committed to on-going communications and engagement with its key stakeholders, to this effect, key discussion and outcomes arising from ISC meetings are provided on this website.