Attention
Importers of cheese, ready-to-eat seafoods and ready-to-eat duck, and brokers acting on their behalf.
Purpose
To advise importers that the department will soon commence activities to verify Imported Food Inspection Scheme Importer Declarations.
Key points
- The department will soon commence activities to verify Imported Food Inspection Scheme Importer Declarations. Declarations are currently used for cheese, some ready-to-eat seafoods and ready-to-eat duck.
- Identified importers will be asked to provide evidence to support answers on their declarations, noting giving false or misleading information is a serious offence. The departments documentation requirements are specified in our Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy.
- The department will initially undertake a verification of cheese importer declarations.
- Further information will be provided to affected importers prior to the verification activity commencing.
Background
- An importer declaration for cheese made from unpasteurised milk is mandatory. Importers of cheese made from unpasteurised milk not covered under foreign government certification arrangements must fill in a declaration to demonstrate that the cheese being imported is permitted because it has received an adequate heat treatment during production. Consignments without this declaration are not permitted entry and are subject to supervised destruction or export from Australia.
- Importers can also lodge importer declarations to demonstrate that certain foods do not support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. These foods include cheese, some ready-to-eat seafoods and ready-to-eat duck. In schedule 27 – Microbiological limits in food, of the Food Standards Code, ready-to-eat foods supporting the growth of Listeria monocytogenes must have no detectable Listeria monocytogenes present, whereas foods that do not support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes are permitted to have up to and including 100 cfu/gm present.
Additional information can be found on Imported Food Inspection Scheme Importer Declarations.
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