2 November 2018
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry of a change to Micor to include the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) import requirements for certain fresh fruit and vegetables, which came into effect 25 August 2018.
Summary of changes and key points
The new import requirements have been added to the following Micor cases:
| Fruits and Vegetables | Scientific name(s) |
|---|---|
| Apple | Malus domestica Borkhausen |
| Basil | Ocimum basilcum L; Ocimum x aficanum Lour.; Ocimum basilicum L. Ocimum x citrodorum Vis.; Ocimum minimum L.; Ocimum americanum L.; Ocimum gratissimum L.; Ocimum tenuflorum L. |
| Broccoli | Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck |
| Cabbages | Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. |
| Carrot | Daucus carota L. |
| Cauliflower, romanesco broccoli | Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L. |
| Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale | Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra (L.H. Bailey) Musil |
| Chinese cabbage | Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis (Lour) Kitam.; Brassica pekinensis (Lour.) Rupr.; Brassica rapa var. pekinensis (Lour) Olsson |
| Chinese chives | Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng. |
| Garden pea | Pisum sativum L. var. sativum |
| Garlic, Chinese onion | Allium sativum L.; Allium chinense G. Don; Allium bakeri Regel |
| Grapes | Vitis vinifera L. |
| Kangkung, water spinach | Ipomoea aquatica Forssk. |
| Longan | Dimocarpus longan Lour.; Nephelium longana (Lam.) Camb.; Euphoria longana Lam. |
| Mandarins and hybrids | Citrus reticulata Blanco; Citrus x nobilis hybrids; Citrusdeliciosa Ten.; Citrus tangarina Hort.; Citrus mitis Blanco.; Citrus madurensis Lour.; Citrus unshiu Marcow |
| Mango | Mangifera indica L. |
| Mushrooms | Agrocybe aegerite; Hypsizygus tessellates (Bull.) Singer; Auricularia auricular-judea (Bull.) Quel.; Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst.’ and other Ganoderma spp.; Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler; Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer; Tremella fuciformis Berk.; Auricularia polytricha (Mont.) Sacc.; Termitomyces spp. |
| Oranges and hybrids | Citrussinensis Osbeck; Citrus aurantium L. and hybrids; Citrus myrtifolia Raf.; Citrus salicifolia Raf. |
| Pear, oriental, Chinese pear, nashi pear, sand pear, snow pear | Pyruspyrifolia (Burm. f.) NaKai; Pyrus lindleyi Rehder; Pyrus nivalis Jacq. |
| Potato | Solanum tuberosum L. |
| Shallot | Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum G.Don. |
| Spinach | Spinacia oleracea L. |
| Spring onion, Chinese small onion, green onion | Allium cepa L. White Portugal; Allium fistulosium L. |
| Strawberries | Fragaria x ananassa (Duchesne ex Weston) Duchesne ex WRozier |
| Yard-long bean | Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. |
Background
The Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified all trading partners of Requirements for Production Processes, production Equipment, Storage and Labelling of some fruit and vegetables No. 386 BE 2560 (2017). Annex 1 of the notification provided a list of fruit and vegetables. Annex 2 of the notification stipulated the ‘good practice’ requirements for packhouses.
These packhouse requirements are in addition to any phytosanitary export requirements or import requirements of the Thailand Department of Agriculture.
The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources provided a submission to the Thailand FDA describing Australia’s food control system demonstrating that the following industry food safety accredited schemes comply with Thailand’s ‘good practices’ requirements for packhouses:
- BRC Global Standards for Food Safety
- Freshcare Food Safety and Quality Code of Practice – Edition 4
- SQF Food Safety Code for Primary Production – Edition 8
- GLOBALG.A.P.
The department is yet to receive a response from the Thailand FDA regarding the submission, so this advice may be subject to change.
The department does not issue certification to the schemes listed above. Contact the food safety scheme providers for information on how to obtain certification to these accredited schemes.
Exporter responsibilities
The changes to Thailand FDA food safety requirements do not impact phytosanitary requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables to Thailand. Australian exporters should continue to check the phytosanitary requirements published in the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor).
Australian exporters should communicate with their Thai importers and suppliers to ensure that all Thailand FDA food safety and phytosanitary requirements are met.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
David Ironside
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch