The Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board is the accountable authority for the agency. It must govern FSANZ in a way that promotes:
- the proper use and management of public resources
- the achievement of the agency's purpose, and
- the sustainability of the agency.
Under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (FSANZ Act), the FSANZ Board is appointed by the relevant Australian Minister in consultation with the Food Ministers' Meeting and must include qualified people from all walks of life.
The Board has 12 members. Members are drawn from specialist areas such as public health, food science, human nutrition, consumer affairs, food allergy, medical science, microbiology, food safety, biotechnology, veterinary science, primary food production, the food industry, food processing or retailing, small business, international trade, food regulation, consumer rights and consumer affairs policy, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and government.
The Board meets eight times a year (four face-to-face meetings and four by videoconference). Read the current meeting schedule
Outcomes of FSANZ Board meetings are published on the FSANZ website.
The Board members
All Board members, with the exception of the CEO, are part-time.
Members are listed alphabetically after the Chairperson and CEO. The reference next to each member's name refers to the role specified in section 116 of the FSANZ Act which the member fulfils.
Ms Glenys Beauchamp AO PSM [s.116 (1)(a)]
Ms Glenys Beauchamp AO PSM was appointed Chair of the FSANZ Board from 4 November 2021 to 31 August 2025.
Ms Beauchamp has had an extensive career in the Australian Public Service, serving as Secretary of three Commonwealth Government departments including the Department of Health from 2017 - 2020; Department of Industry, Innovation and Science from 2013-2017 and Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport 2010-2013.
Ms Beauchamp has extensive national board experience and is currently a board member of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care; Board Member, McGrath Foundation Ltd, and Chair of the Australian Building Codes Board. She is also on the Advisory Board of Region Group Pty Ltd and adviser with Proximity Advisory Pty ltd and Dragoman Pty Ltd.
Ms Beauchamp has served on numerous national health, science, community and industry boards including the Digital Health Agency, Australian Sports Commission, CSIRO (ex-officio for three years); Innovation and Science Australia (ex-officio); Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal; Australian Statistics Advisory Council; and the Administrative Review Council.
Dr Sandra Cuthbert (Chief Executive Officer) [s.116 (1)(b)]
Dr Sandra Cuthbert was appointed Chief Executive Officer of FSANZ on 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2027.
Sandra has extensive leadership, policy, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement experience across the public and private sectors. She has held senior roles with the Australian Government departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Agriculture and Water Resources, as well as Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Sandra brings a practical understanding of the complex environment that FSANZ operates within, drawing on her experience managing the agency's stakeholder engagement, corporate and food safety functions between 2018 and 2021. She has a reputation for delivering outcomes on complex and time critical projects, most recently as the Assistant Secretary, Commonwealth-State Relations at PM&C.
Sandra has post graduate qualifications in science and law and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Lauren Ball [s.116(3)(a)]
Lauren Ball is Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing at the University of Queensland and is the Director of the Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing. Lauren has maintained a research-focussed academic career as a clinician researcher, through two prestigious National Health and Medical Research Council fellowships and continuing research-focussed academic roles. Lauren is an accomplished research leader capable of building multidisciplinary teams that develop innovative solutions to complex problems. She has a clinical background as an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Exercise Physiologist. Lauren’s work spans primary care, community care, allied health, health promotion and wellbeing and health policy.
Lauren is a Board Member of Dietitians Australia, as well as Darling Downs & West Moreton Primary Health Network; and a Committee Member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Handbook for Non-Drug Interventions.
Ms Suzanne Chetwin CNZM [s.116(1)(d)]
Sue Chetwin led ConsumerNZ for 13 years until her recent resignation. The organisation is a highly trusted, public-facing not-for-profit, which advocates on behalf of consumers. Research into public health, nutrition and food labelling form a significant part of consumer's work.
Sue is a founding member of the consumer and Public Health Dialogue which provides insights to FSANZ. She is an experienced and award-winning journalist, having been editor of two national Sunday newspapers and the founding editor of the Herald on Sunday. Sue is currently studying fulltime to complete a law degree at Victoria University of Wellington. She is a director of the Financial Markets Authority, is chairing a review of InternetNZ policies and was recently appointed to a Law Society Independent Review group.
Ms Josephine Davey [s.116(1)(g)]
Jo Davey is a company director and consultant experienced in general management, innovation, food safety, regulatory affairs and product development in the dairy and food manufacturing sectors. She is a Director of Pirrama Consulting Pty Ltd, which provides management and technical consulting services to the food and beverage industries.
In addition to her FSANZ role, Jo serves as a Director of the Subtropical Dairy Programme (a Regional Development Programme of Dairy Australia) and as a Director of PPB Pty Ltd, a start-up diagnostics company.
Previous directorships include Dairy Food Safety Victoria, Dairy Innovation Australia Ltd and its predecessor organisations, and Australian Dairy Proteins. She was a member of the industry Advisory Committee for CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship for 10 years. She has also served as the national and state President of the Dairy industry Association of Australia and President of the Australian Institute of Food science and Technology.
Jo has held senior commercial and technical roles in the Dairy Farmers Group and was the Managing Director of a start-up food company, Diabetes Smart.
Dr Meika Foster [s.116(1)(c)]
Meika Foster is the Founding Director of Edible Research Ltd., which provides translational research services to the science sector, government organisations, and food and beverage businesses (including multi-national and small- and medium-sized enterprises). She is an independent member of the New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Centre (NZFSSRC) Board.
Meika has a background in Law and Nutrition Science. Her research interests include the development of food and ingredient solutions that are beneficial for health and the environment, consumer science, Indigenous organisms research, the roles of micronutrients and phytochemicals in health and disease, the protection of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, and novel food regulations.
Mr John Hart OAM [s.116(1)(g)]
John Hart is Executive Director of Business Group Australia, Executive Chair of Australian Chamber - Tourism and on the Board of the Tourism Australia, the Australian Business Register, The Angus Knight Group, Hospitality Training Network and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
He was Executive Director of Restaurant & Catering Australia between 1999 and 2020. Restaurant & Catering Australia is the peak industry body representing restaurants, cafes and caterers across Australia. John came to the Association from Tourism Training NSW where he was Executive Officer for five years.
John has spent over 35 years working in the hospitality industry in operational, HR and IR roles, trained in food and beverage management at the Ecole Hotelliere Lausanne, in Switzerland, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Business Law and a Master of Business Law.
John currently also served as Chair of the Commonwealth Vocational Education and Training Advisory Board between 2013 and 2017 and was previously on the Prime Ministers Business Advisory Council. In 2021, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen's 95th Birthday Honours.
Professor Palatasa Havea ONZM [s.116 (1)(ca)]
Professor Palatasa Havea (Tasa) started a new role in February this year as the Dean of Pacific Students' Success at Massey University, Palmerston North. He had a 26 year long successful research career in the dairy industry. His research focused on understanding how the molecular changes in dairy proteins can lead to the desired balance between being nutritional and functional ingredients in food products.
Tasa invented a number of patented technologies that bring tens of millions of dollars of annual foreign earnings to the NZ economy. He also brings a distinguished record of leadership in the Pacific community, serving on a range of boards, committees and reference groups including the Health Research Council, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, and the Ministry of Pacific Peoples. In 2018, he received the Queen's new year's medal, NZ Order of Merit, in recognition of his services to the dairy industry and the NZ Pacific community.
Professor Lisa Houghton [s.116(1)(c)]
Lisa Houghton is a nutrition scientist and educator with over 25 years of experience across New Zealand, Canada and USA. Currently, she holds the position of Emeritus Professor at the University of Otago, where she remains actively involved in supervising research students and guest lecturing on nutrition and global health.
Lisa’s expertise extends to a wide range of areas in community and international nutrition, including nutrition assessment and surveillance, micronutrient deficiencies, maternal and child nutrition, food fortification, and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Notably, she served as the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Human Nutrition at Otago, playing a key role in developing evidence-based solutions to improve nutritional health outcomes across the Western Pacific Region.
Throughout her career, Lisa was led numerous projects on assessing and improving the quality of nutrition data and global health indicators in collaboration with the WHO, Gates Foundation and various NGOs. As a consultant and advisor, she continues to leverage her expertise in nutrition and food security to empower local teams and organisations in low resource settings in evaluating nutritional issues and co-designing targeted, food-based solutions.
Professor Mark Lawrence [s.116(1)(e)]
Mark Lawrence is Professor of Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University. He has 40 years' experience working as a practitioner and academic in food policy and regulation at local, state, national and international levels. Mark's research interests focus on investigating healthy and sustainable food systems, dietary guidelines, ultra-processed foods and food labelling and fortification.
He is an external advisor to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization; Fellow of the Nutrition Society of Australia and Fellow of the Public Health Association of Australia; Member of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences Task Force on Sustainable Diets; Former member of NHMRC's Dietary Guidelines Working Committee; and was Acting Principal Nutritionist at the then National Food Authority, 1993-97.
Mr Craig Sahlin [s.116(3)(a)]
Craig Sahlin is a lawyer and public policy professional with 40 years’ experience in the public, community and private sectors. Craig worked for 15 years in food safety and regulation, playing a leading role in establishing the NSW Food Authority as Australia’s first paddock-to-plate food regulatory agency. During this period, Craig also played a leading role in national food policy and regulation forums, including serving as inaugural chair of both the Strategic Planning Working Group and the Implementation Subcommittee for Food Regulation.
Craig led development of the first Australian domestic standard and certification framework for organic and biodynamic products as inaugural Independent Chair of Standards Australia’s Organic and Biodynamic Products Committee, receiving Standards Australia’s 2009 Meritorious Contribution Award for this work. From 2016 to 2024 Craig served as a board member of the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority and then as an inaugural Commissioner of the NSW Independent Casino Commission. Craig now seeks to bring together his executive experience in food regulation and his board experience in liquor and gaming regulation to contribute to the work of FSANZ.
Dr Roscoe Taylor [s.116(1)(f)]
Dr Taylor is a specialist in public health medicine with a broad background in general practice, humanities and environmental science. He occupied the statutory position of Director of Public Health in Tasmania from 2002 - 2015 and was also Chief Health Officer 2012-15. He has continued to work across a number of jurisdictions, maintaining interests in environmental health, communicable diseases and chronic disease prevention.
Registers of Board members' interests
FSANZ Board members must declare material personal interests, as well as certain broader interests, and exclude themselves from any decision making that could be considered a conflict of interest.
Under subsection 125(6) of the FSANZ Act, entries recorded in the Register of FSANZ Board Members' Material Personal Interests must be published on the internet.
In addition, entries recorded in the Register of FSANZ Board Members' Other Interests are also published on the website.
The FSANZ Board Charter outlines the objectives of the Board and the various roles and responsibilities of FSANZ Board members.
Board Outcomes
Outcomes of FSANZ Board meetings are published regularly.
Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee Charter
The FSANZ Board established the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee (FARMC) in compliance with section 45 of the Performance, Governance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and Section 17 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014.
The FARMC Charter sets out the committee's objectives, authority, responsibilities, composition and tenure, reporting and administrative arrangements.