The requirements for cooked and manufactured meat will change on 14 December 2016. Refer to IFN 20-2016 for information on these changes.
The changes will include a new lodgement question and changes to the analysis of cooked and manufactured meat.
The requirements on this web page apply to consignments lodged before 14 December 2016.
Cooked meat – manufactured or processed
Back to Tests applied to risk food
Reference CMP 05/2014
All imported food must comply with Australia’s biosecurity import conditions.
Check the Biosecurity Import Conditions Database (BICON) system to determine if the food you intend to import requires an import permit or a treatment or if it must meet any other conditions. All biosecurity requirements must be met before Imported Food Inspection Scheme requirements apply.
Imported Food Inspection Scheme risk food
Meat products that have been cooked and are processed meat or manufactured meat are classified as risk food. This includes meat from buffalo, camel, cattle, deer, goat, hare, pig, poultry, rabbit or sheep.
Examples are cooked:
- hamburger patties
- frankfurters
- meat pate
- luncheon meat
- chicken nuggets.
Processed meat is a meat product containing no less than 300 g/kg meat, where the meat (either singly or in combination with other ingredients or additives) has undergone a method of processing other than boning, slicing, dicing, mincing or freezing and includes manufactured meat and cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces.
Manufactured meat is processed meat containing no less than 660 g/kg of meat.
Food excluded from this testing
- mixed food containing meat as an ingredient e.g. frozen meals, soup
- retorted—the final product is in a hermetically sealed (airtight) container and has been heat treated (retorted) within this container so that the final product is shelf stable (not requiring refrigeration).
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) requirements are not excluded. Refer to the webpage providing information on BSE food safety requirements for beef.
Risk food sampling
When goods are referred for inspection and testing, an authorised officer:
- will take samples for each product type
- will take five sample units per lot for analysis.
For more detail on sampling refer to Imported Food Notice 03-11 Food sampling under the Imported Food Inspection Scheme.
Hazard testing
Table 1 shows risk food tests applied to imported cooked meat that is manufactured or processed and permitted results.
Table 1 Hazard, test applied and permitted result
Hazard | Test applied | Permitted result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Microorganisms | Coagulase-positive staphylococci, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella |
c = the maximum allowable number of defective sample units i.e. that have counts between ‘m’ and ‘M’ m = the acceptable microbiological level in a sample unit M = the level which when exceeded (i.e. the level is greater than M) in one or more samples would cause the lot to be rejected | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Label and composition assessment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Visual assessment | Imported Food Control Act 1992 section 3(2)(a)(vii) and 3(2)(b) |
Version history
| Date | Amendment details | |
|---|---|---|
1/5/2014 | CMP 05/2014 | Replaces Imported Food Notice 09/12 Tests applied to risk category foods |