2010

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

THE SENATE

Presented and read a first time

Food Safety (Trans Fats) Bill 2010

No.      , 2010

(Senator Siewert)

A Bill for an Act to prohibit the addition of synthetic trans fatty acids to food, and for related purposes

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................ 1

2............ Commencement.................................................................................. 1

3............ Purpose etc......................................................................................... 2

4............ Definitions.......................................................................................... 2

5............ Prohibition—corporations.................................................................. 2

6............ Operation of State and Territory Laws.............................................. 3

A Bill for an Act to prohibit the addition of synthetic trans fatty acids to food, and for related purposes

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title                                                                             

                   This Act may be cited as the Food Safety (Trans Fats) Act 2010.

2  Commencement

                   This Act commences on 1 January 2011.

3  Purpose etc.

             (1)  The purpose of this Act is to prohibit, within the bounds of Commonwealth constitutional competence, the addition of synthetic trans fatty acids to foods in Australia.

             (2)  The use of the corporations power in this Act is specifically limited by section 6 so that it does not override State or Territory legislation.

             (3)  It is the intention of the Parliament that this Act will protect Australians from the detrimental health effects of synthetic trans fatty acids in the absence of regulation by State and Territory Parliaments.

4  Definitions

                   In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

constitutional corporation means a corporation to which paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution applies.

synthetic trans fatty acids means the unnatural fatty acids that are created through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils.

5  Prohibition—corporations

             (1)  A constitutional corporation must not manufacture, distribute, offer for sale, sell or otherwise trade in food containing synthetic trans fatty acids.

Penalty:  1000 penalty units.

             (2)  A person must not:

                     (a)  manufacture for or on behalf of; or

                     (b)  distribute, offer for sale or sell for, to or on behalf of; or

                     (c)  otherwise trade with or on behalf of:

a constitutional corporation food containing synthetic trans fatty acids.

Penalty:  1000 penalty units.

6  Operation of State and Territory Laws

                   It is the Parliament’s intention that, where a law of a State or Territory regulates the content of synthetic trans fatty acids in food in that State or Territory, and that law is inconsistent with section 5 of this Act, that State or Territory law, as the case may be, prevails over section 5 of this Act to the extent of the inconsistency.