Bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products

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.

Bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products are classified as risk food

This includes raw or processed:

• clams
• cockles
• mussels
• oysters
• pipis
• scallops.

Processing includes cooking, pasteurising, heating, drying, marinating and smoking.

Bivalve mollusc products include all foods containing bivalve molluscs.

Exclusions

• Refer to the foreign government certificates section for certification exclusions.
• Refer to the inspection and testing section for hazard specific exclusions.
• Food from New Zealand.

Restrictions on oyster imports

Oysters sourced from these areas are not permitted for import:

• Republic of Korea
• Northern and Western marine areas of Hiroshima Bay, Japan
• Marine area of Kure Bay in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

This restriction excludes oysters that are retorted and shelf stable.

Consignments of oysters from Japan must have their source verified in writing by a recognised competent authority.

Foreign government certificates

Consignments of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products must be imported from a country that has certification arrangements in place or is in the process of negotiating such an arrangement.

The following products are excluded from foreign government certification requirements:

• retorted and shelf stable products, including condiments and sauces
• dried, including chilled soup mixes containing dried bivalve molluscs.

Learn more about how a national competent authority in an exporting country can apply for a foreign government certificate arrangement.

Declaring certificates

When lodging a Full Import Declaration (FID), use the correct ICS document code and certificate number for the food.

See lodging declarations and documentation.

Current certification arrangements

You can only import bivalve molluscs and bivalve molluscs products from countries listed below.

These countries are in the process of negotiating a certification arrangement with the department to enable the export of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products to Australia.

Community Protection (CP) questions

You may need to answer one or more of these CP questions when lodging your full import declaration:

IFIS: Are the goods uncanned oysters (including pearl meat) harvested from either the Republic of Korea, or the northern and western marine areas of Hiroshima Bay, or the marine area of Kure Bay in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan?

IFIS: Are the goods, or do the goods contain, bivalve molluscs?

IFIS: Are the goods heat treated bivalve molluscs that require refrigeration (chilled or frozen) and do not require further cooking before consumption?

Inspection and testing

We refer consignments of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products for analytical testing. During inspection, we will also conduct a visual and label assessment.

Table 1 shows the tests that will be applied and permitted results for each food type.

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 (FSANZ) has given us advice about the risk of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products.

These products present a potential medium or high risk to public health for:

• hepatitis A
• norovirus
• domoic acid
• paralytic shellfish poison.

Ready-to-eat processed bivalve molluscs are a potential medium or high risk for Listeria monocytogenes.

To make sure there are food safety controls in place to manage hazards associated with bivalve molluscs we will require foreign government certificates for imports of this food.

Voluntary foreign government certification arrangements

We have a voluntary certification arrangement in place with Thailand for processed bivalve molluscs. Consignments of processed bivalve molluscs from Thailand with a recognised government certificate have a reduced rate of inspection and testing.

Glossary

Competent authority

The government authority or official body authorised by the government that is responsible for the setting of regulatory food safety requirements and/or for the organization of official controls including enforcement.

Dried

Food that is sold as dried must be dried to a water activity of no more than 0.85.

Heat treated

Heat treated includes pasteurised, cooked and smoked.

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

Animal products are retorted if they are heated in a hermetically sealed container to a minimum core temperature of 100°C, obtaining an F⁰ value of at least 2.8.

Shelf stable

Goods are shelf-stable if the:

• goods have been commercially manufactured
• goods have been packaged by the manufacturer
• goods are in that package
• package has not been opened or broken
• goods are able to be stored in the package at room or ambient temperature, and
• goods do not require refrigeration or freezing before the package is opened.

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