Imported Food Inspection Scheme
All food sold in Australia, including imported foods, must comply with State and Territory food legislation and other legislative requirements, e.g. fair trading legislation. Foods imported into Australia are also subject to requirements under the Quarantine Act 1908 and the Imported Food Control Act 1992, which are implemented by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). The Imported Food Control Act 1992 is implemented through the Australian Government’s Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS). The IFIS aims to ensure that imported foods are fit and safe for human consumption, through a program of inspection for compliance against food standards. Under the IFIS, FSANZ provides advice to AQIS on the level of public health risk posed by specific foods. AQIS has operational responsibility for inspection and sampling of imported food.The food standards applied under the Imported Food Control Act 1992 are those set down in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). These standards also apply to food manufactured and sold in Australia. Further details about the IFIS can be found at www.aqis.gov.au .
Inspection of Food Imported into Australia
Inspection of imported food is carried out by authorised AQIS officers. As is the case for all countries, it is not practical to inspect every food item that is imported for all potential compliance issues. Inspections are therefore risk and intelligence based, targeting food products that may pose a risk to public health or may not comply with the legal requirements set out in the Code.
There are two categories of inspection; risk and surveillance.
Risk categorised food: Food is risk categorised by FSANZ if it has the potential to pose a high or medium risk to public health. Risk categorised foods are inspected and tested against a pre-determined list of potential hazards, that includes microbial and chemical hazards. Based on a risk assessment process, FSANZ provides advice to AQIS on which foods should be included in the risk category and the specific hazards of public health significance for these foods.
Surveillance category: Foods in this category generally pose a low risk to public health and safety. The purpose of this category is to provide for monitoring of imported foods at a low inspection frequency for compliance with the Code.
The frequency of inspection of a food depends on the category in which it has been placed and in some cases, its compliance record. Further details of the food inspection categories, including details on the frequency of inspection, are published in AQIS Imported Food Notices (available from www.aqis.gov.au ).
In addition to the role of the AQIS at the border in relation to imported foods, States and Territory food enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing the requirements of the Code for all food available for sale within their jurisdiction, including both imported and domestically produced food. Specific complaints about potentially non-compliant food, including imported food can be directed to your relevant State or Territory agency.
For further information
The Code can be accessed on the FSANZ website http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/thecode/ .
Further information on importing foods into Australia and the Imported Food Inspection Scheme can be accessed on the AQIS website www.aqis.gov.au .