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Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Import
  4. Importing goods
  5. Food
  6. Food type
  7. Berries that are ready-to-eat

Sidebar first - Import

  • Import requirements by food type
    • Importing food from New Zealand
    • Arachnids
    • Beef and beef products
    • Beef and beef products - raw
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    • All other food and beverages

Berries that are ready-to-eat

Improving access to imported food safety requirements

From mid-2025 imported food safety requirements will be incorporated into 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 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 berries that are fresh, frozen or dried are classified as risk food

This includes, but is not limited to, these types of fresh, chilled, frozen, or dried berries:

  • barberries
  • bilberries
  • blackberries
  • blueberries
  • cranberries
  • currants (Ribes genus)
  • gooseberries (Ribes genus)
  • loganberries
  • mulberries
  • raspberries
  • strawberries.

Exclusions

  • berries that are retorted
  • berries that are processed, for example, pulp, puree, concentrate, or juice
  • berries that are an ingredient in mixed ready-to-eat food
  • açai berries, goji berries and red bayberries (yumberries)
  • food from New Zealand.

Food safety management certificates

From 9 November 2022, consignments of ready-to-eat berries that are either fresh, chilled or frozen, and are not retorted, must be lodged with a food safety management certificate.

The certificate must show that the producer has a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) based food safety management system in place. This system must identify and control food safety hazards, such as hepatitis A virus. The certificate must cover primary production and processing of the food.

See our determination section below to find out what food safety management certificates we will recognise.

Ready-to-eat berries that are dried may be lodged with a voluntary 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 the 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 ready-to-eat berries that are either fresh, chilled, frozen or dried and are not retorted? For ready-to-eat berries that are fresh, chilled or frozen you must provide a food safety management certificate.

Inspection and testing

We refer consignments of berries 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.

Table 1, Food type, test applied and permitted result
Food typeTest appliedPermitted result
Berries that are ready-to-eat (dried only)Escherichia coli (E. coli)n=5, c=2, m=100, M=1000 cfu/g
Berries that are ready-to-eat (fresh, chilled, frozen and dried)Residue screenRefer to fruit and vegetable residue screen

n = the minimum number of sample units that must be examined from a lot of food.
c = the maximum allowable number of defective sample units, that have counts between ‘m’ and ‘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 Standards Australia New Zealand has given us advice that fresh and frozen, ready-to-eat berries present a potential high risk to public health for hepatitis A, and that dried, ready-to-eat berries present a potential medium risk to public health for hepatitis A.

To make sure there are food safety controls in place to manage this hazard during production and processing we require food safety management certificates for imports of the higher risk, fresh, chilled or frozen berries.

Determination

We have identified what food safety management certificates we will recognise in this determination.

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 berries (PDF 214 KB) 
Determination for ready-to-eat berries (DOCX 58 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

DateReference numberAmendment details
30/05/2024BER 12/2021Updated to specify the genus of gooseberries (Ribus genus) that are classified as risk food.
04/04/2023BER 12/2021Update to the CP question
29/03/2023BER 12/2021Updated permitted levels of E. coli.
25/01/2023BER 12/2021Updated to specify analytical test applied to berries that are ready-to-eat (dried only).
01/12/2021BER 12/2021Updated following revised risk advice from FSANZ
10/11/2020BER 11/2020First version of the webpage published on website

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Page last updated: 28 April 2025

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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