Becoming a verifier
If you want to become a verifier, you'll need to become a recognised person or agency.
Find out about becoming a recognised person or agency
Training for verifiers
MPI has developed online training modules for verifiers. The training modules will help verifiers understand their role under the new Food Act. Anyone who is applying to become a verifier must complete these modules.
Please note that this is an introduction to the new Act, and more in depth training is also being developed.
The focus for verifiers under the new law
The new Food Act moves from a one-size-fits-all approach, to one that is risk based. This means that high-risk businesses should have to meet higher standards than lower-risk business. It also means that verifiers should focus on what is most important for achieving food safety at each type of business.
To help you do this, MPI has compiled the top 5 food safety areas for each type of business that will move to the new law in the first year (between 1 March 2016 and 28 February 2017). These topics should be the key focus of verifications.
The new Act also aims to give businesses more flexibility, which means focusing on outcomes rather than prescriptive measures. Guidelines for verifiers are aimed at supporting you to use your professional judgement.
The Act encourages businesses to take responsibility for food safety in their business, and we hope that verifiers will play a role in educating businesses about what this means.
Verification topics
We have compiled a list of verification topics to help you know what to check when you verify a business. What you focus on should depend on the nature of the individual business, and not all topics need to be included in every verification.
However, there are some things that you must verify every time. These are:
- the top 5 food safety topics identified for the sector
- at least one topic from each verification criterion
- the following mandatory topics:
- registration / scope of operations
- improvements and corrective actions
- complaints and recalls
- non-compliance
- managing unsafe / unsuitable food.
Verifiers should cover enough topics to give them confidence that food produced will be safe and suitable. The verification criteria document will help you understand what each topic means.
- Read more about the top 5 food safety topics
- Download the verification topics
- Read verification topics guidance
- Mapping verification topics to the version 5 template food control plan – for businesses on a deemed FCP
- Find out more about working with businesses on deemed plans
Verification outcomes
You must give each topic you verify an outcome. The outcomes and their meanings are outlined in this document:
Verification frequency guidance
Use our Verification frequency guidance to work out how often you need to visit a food business. The guidance will help you decide which verification step a business should be on, and when their next verification will be due.
Verification frequency guidance
Monthly reporting to MPI
You must send monthly reports to MPI of all verifications carried out under the Food Act 2014. This includes businesses with a deemed food control plan. That is, businesses that are part of the voluntary implementation programme (VIP) or with a food safety programme (FSP). This must be done within 10 working days after each calendar month ends.
Use the spreadsheet below to report:
- verification for businesses registered under the Food Act 2014 (and entered into MAPs)
- verification of deemed food control plan businesses (including those on the VIP programme or with an FSP).
Councils must also tell us which businesses registered each month are new (that is, not operating before 1 March 2016). Enter these in the second tab of the spreadsheet. If you did not register any new businesses, clearly indicate this.
Instructions for how to use the spreadsheet are on the first tab. The completed spreadsheet should be emailed to Verification.Monitoring@mpi.govt.nz .
Download the spreadsheet to use for monthly verification reports to MPI
Registration tool in development
MPI is developing an online verification system where this data will be captured, this will be available in a few months.
Who can verify which risk based measure?
Verification of almost all risk-based measures (RBMs) is open to any recognised agency or person, including local councils and third party verifiers.
However, only territorial authorities can verify template food control plans for businesses that operate in only 1 local council area, and that mostly sell directly to consumers. This is explained in section 137 of the Food Act.
Read section 137 of the Food Act – NZ Legislation website
Table 1 shows the risk-based measures that have contestable verification and those that can be done only by a territorial authority. When a measure is contestable it means any agency or person that has gained the appropriate recognition can do the verification.
| Table 1 | |
| Risk-based measure | Verifier |
| Custom food control plan | Contestable, subject to gaining appropriate recognition. The agency and/or verifier is required to have ISO 17020 accreditation. |
| Section 39 template food control plan (where a business is in a single territorial authority region and sells primarily directly to consumers) | Only territorial authority verifiers. Recognised under section 137 of the Act. |
| Section 39 template food control plan (where a business is not in a single territorial authority region and/or does not sell primarily directly to consumers) | Contestable subject to gaining appropriate recognition. |
| Section 40 template (where a business uses an industry-generated template approved by MPI) | Contestable subject to gaining appropriate recognition. |
| National programme | Contestable subject to gaining appropriate recognition. |
Find out more
- Section 39 of the Food Act 2014 – NZ Legislation website
- Section 40 of the Food Act 2014 – NZ Legislation website
Read the Food Act 2014:Verification March 2016 update
Guidance in development
MPI is developing guidance that will explain how we will monitor council and third-party verification activities, and what you'll need to report to MPI.