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Food Act 2014

Provisions relating to recognition, territorial authorities, administration, and enforcement - Powers and enforcement - Powers and duties of food safety officers

297: Power to ask for assistance

You could also call this:

"Food safety officers can ask for help to do their job and the person helping is protected."

Illustration for Food Act 2014

If you are a food safety officer, you can ask someone for help when you need it to do your job. You can ask for help with things you have to do under the Food Act 2014, except for when you are entering a place under section 310. When you ask someone for help, they have to do what you tell them to do and you have to supervise them. If someone agrees to help you, they can go with you into a place you are allowed to enter.

If someone helps you and they do something or don't do something as you told them, they are protected from getting in trouble, as long as they were trying to do the right thing and were following your instructions. You have to make sure they are doing things correctly and safely. This protection helps the person who is helping you, so they don't have to worry about getting in trouble for something they did to help you.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM2996429.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Food and water safetyBusiness > Industry rules
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296: Powers in sections 292 and 293 exercisable by food safety officers, or

"What food safety officers can do under the law"

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298: Purposes of powers in sections 296, 299 to 308, and 310 to 312, or

"Why food safety officers have special powers to keep food safe"

Part 4Provisions relating to recognition, territorial authorities, administration, and enforcement
Powers and enforcement: Powers and duties of food safety officers

297Power to ask for assistance

  1. A food safety officer who considers it necessary to do so may ask a person for assistance in performing the officer’s functions or duties, or exercising the officer's powers, under a requirement of this Act (other than the power of entry under section 310).

  2. If the person agrees to assist, he or she—

  3. must act under the supervision of, and as instructed by, the officer; and
    1. may accompany the officer into any place that the officer enters.

      1. The person is protected from civil and criminal liability for an act that the person does or omits to do—

      2. under the supervision of, and as instructed by, the officer; and
        1. in good faith.