Failing Food Report – October 2019

The Department of Agriculture (the department) targets and monitors food determined to pose a high or medium risk to public health. Risk food is targeted at the rate of 100 per cent until a history of compliance is established.

Tables 1 and 2 detail where noncompliant food was detected.

The noncompliant food was not distributed for sale in Australia. It was destroyed by the importer or re-exported to the country of origin under department supervision. More information on risk food and the tests applied under the IFIS can be found on the Tests applied to risk food webpages.

Table 1 Microbiological/Allergen tests

Table 2 Chemical/Contaminant/Composition/Toxin test results

The department operates a five per cent random surveillance scheme to monitor a range of food imported into Australia for compliance to some standards in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. These tests are applied as part of a rolling program of surveillance food and are therefore subject to change.

More information on surveillance food and the tests applied can be found on the Tests applied to surveillance food webpage.

Table 3 details where results were found to be noncompliant with food standards. Future consignments of this food are subject to an increased rate of testing until a history of compliance is achieved.

To increase the rate of testing, a legal instrument referred to as a ‘holding order’ is issued to refer food from a particular overseas producer for increased testing. The words ‘HO match’ indicate the fail was against an existing holding order. A new instrument is not issued for subsequent fails to an existing holding order.

Table 3 Surveillance food test results