Improving access to imported food safety requirements
Imported food safety requirements are now included in the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).
See more about the Inclusion of food safety requirements in BICON.
All biosecurity requirements must be met before Imported Food Inspection Scheme requirements apply.
Check our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) for biosecurity import conditions.
We classify imported food that presents a potential medium or high risk to public health as risk food. All risk food is listed in the Imported Food Control Order 2019.
Ready-to-eat pomegranate arils that are fresh, frozen or dried are classified as risk food
This includes fresh, chilled, frozen or dried pomegranate arils (and seeds), whether or not they contain added sugar or other sweeteners.
This includes pomegranate arils that are imported in bulk for catering or to be repackaged for retail sale.
Exclusions
- pomegranate arils that are retorted
- pomegranate arils that are not ready-to-eat
- pomegranate arils that are pureed, pulped or juiced
- foods that are not pomegranate arils only (e.g. a mixed food where pomegranate arils are an ingredient such as pomegranate arils covered in chocolate)
- food from New Zealand.
Food safety management certificates
Consignments of ready-to-eat pomegranate arils that are either fresh, chilled, or frozen, and are not retorted, must be lodged with a recognised food safety management certificate.
See the determination section to find out what food safety management certificates we will recognise.
Ready-to-eat pomegranate arils that are dried may be lodged with a food safety management certificate. The presentation of a food safety management certificate replaces testing for E.coli.
Declaring certificates
When lodging a Full Import Declaration (FID), use the correct ICS document code and certificate number for food.
See requirements for lodging a food safety management certificate .
Community Protection (CP) question
You will need to answer this CP question when lodging your full import declaration.
IFIS: Are the goods pomegranate arils that are either fresh, chilled, frozen or dried and are not retorted? For pomegranate arils that are fresh, chilled or frozen you must provide a food safety management certificate.
Inspection and testing
We refer consignments of pomegranate arils for analytical testing at the rate of 5%. During inspection we will also conduct a visual and label assessment.
Table 1 shows the tests that will be applied and permitted results for the food type.
Food type | Test applied | Permitted result |
---|---|---|
Pomegranate arils that are ready-to-eat (dried only) | Escherichia coli (E. coli) | n=5, c=2, m=100, M=1000 cfu/g |
Pomegranate arils that are ready-to-eat (fresh, chilled, frozen and dried) | Residue screen fruit and vegetable residue screen | Refer to fruit and vegetable residue screen |
n = the number of samples to be analysed from a lot of food.
c = the maximum number of sample units, that can be greater than ‘m’.
m = the acceptable microbiological level in a sample unit.
M = the level, which when exceeded (the level is greater than M), in one or more samples would cause the lot to be rejected.
Food safety risks
Food Standard Australia New Zealand has given us advice that fresh and frozen, ready-to-eat pomegranate arils present a potential high risk to public health for hepatitis A, and that dried, ready-to-eat pomegranate arils present a potential medium risk to public health for hepatitis A.
To obtain assurance that food safety controls are in place to manage this hazard during processing, we require food safety management certificates for imports of the higher risk, fresh, chilled or frozen pomegranate arils. For the medium risk rated dried and ready-to-eat pomegranate arils, border testing will apply for E. coli unless the importer voluntarily imports these arils under a food safety management certificate.
Determination
We have identified what food safety management certificates we will recognise in these determinations.
The determination sets out:
- who can issue the certificate
- scope of the certification
- who the certificate covers
- how it can be verified.
Download
Determination for ready-to-eat pomegranate arils that are fresh or frozen (PDF 59 KB)
Determination for ready-to-eat pomegranate arils that are fresh or frozen (DOCX 262 KB)
Determination for ready-to-eat dried pomegranate arils (PDF 231 KB)
Determination for ready-to-eat dried pomegranate arils (DOCX 262 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Glossary
Ready-to-eat
Food is ready-to-eat if it is ordinarily consumed in the same state as that in which it is sold.
To avoid doubt, food is not ordinarily consumed in the same state as that in which it is sold if, before it is consumed, it requires further processing (such as cooking) to reduce any pathogenic microorganisms potentially present in the food to safe levels.
Retorted
Goods (other than animal products) are retorted if they are heated in a hermetically sealed container for a time, and to a temperature, sufficient to make the contents commercially sterile.
Version history
Date | Amendment details |
---|---|
21/08/2025 | Amended to reflect changes to the CP question and additional details about the type of pomegranate arils that are classified as risk food. Also published new determinations for RTE pomegranate arils that are dried, and RTE pomegranate arils that are fresh or frozen. |
04/04/2023 | Update to the CP question. |
29/03/2023 | Updated permitted levels of E. coli. |
25/01/2023 | Updated to specify analytical test applied to pomegranate arils that are ready-to-eat (dried only). |
01/12/2021 | Updated following revised risk advice from FSANZ |
10/11/2020 | First version of the webpage published on website |