Sesame seeds and sesame seed 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.

Sesame seeds and sesame seed products that are ready-to-eat are classified as risk food

This includes sesame seeds (broken and unbroken) and sesame seed products that are ready-to-eat such as:

• baba ghanouj/baba ghanouge
• halva/halwa/halawa (sesame based)
• hommus/hummus
• paste (tahini/tahina or sesame paste)

Exclusions

• Bakery products where sesame seeds are used as a topping or garnish
• Sesame seed products that are cooked or baked
• Sesame seed products that are retorted and shelf stable
• Sesame seed oil
• Sesame flour, powder or meal
• Food from New Zealand.

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 sesame based halva/halwa/halawa?

IFIS: Are the goods hommus/hummus, baba ghanouj/baba ghanouge or other sesame based dip or paste?

IFIS: Are the goods tahini/tahina or sesame paste?

IFIS: Are the goods tahini/tahina, sesame paste or sesame powder?

IFIS: Are the goods sesame seeds?

Inspection and testing

We refer consignments of sesame seeds and sesame seed products for analytical testing. During inspection, we will also conduct a visual and label assessment.

Table 1 shows the test that will be applied and permitted result.

Table 1, Test applied and permitted result

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.

Food safety risks

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has given us advice about the risk of sesame seeds and sesame seed products that are ready-to-eat. These products present a potential medium or high risk to public health for Salmonella.

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) heated in a hermetically sealed container for a time, and to a temperature, sufficient to make the contents commercially sterile.

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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