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Commercial Imports
To ensure successful importation and to avoid any delays with your shipment, there are two requirements that imported food must meet. The first is quarantine and the second is food safety.
Quarantine requirements
All food imported into Australia must comply with Australia's quarantine laws in the Quarantine Act 1908.
ICON is AQIS's quarantine import conditions database. ICON can be used to determine if a commodity intended for import to Australia requires a quarantine permit and/or treatment, or if there are any other quarantine conditions.
For further enquiries on Australian quarantine or import permit requirements, or if you are experiencing trouble locating information on ICON, contact us:
- Foods of animal origin, contact Biologicals Unit on + 61 2 6272 4578 or visit Biological Products.
- Foods of plant origin, contact Plant Quarantine on + 61 2 6272 3917 or visit Plants.
You must be sure that food complies with quarantine requirements. If food does not meet quarantine requirements, it will not be allowed entry into Australia.
Food safety requirements
Once all quarantine requirements have been addressed, food must also comply with Australia's imported food laws in the Imported Food Control Act 1992.
The applicable standards for food under the Imported Food Control Act 1992 are set down in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. All imported food must meet the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code in its entirety, ensuring imported food complies with Australia's requirements is the responsibility of the importer.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand publishes User Guides that assist importers to understand the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Labelling is where most imported food fails to meet requirements.
For detailed information on the labelling and compositional requirements for food it is suggested that importers seek the advice of a consultant food technologist or obtain legal advice to ensure that their product complies with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. AQIS does not review labels or provide advice on labelling or compositional requirements.
AQIS monitors compliance with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code by means of the Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS). Testing that may be applied under the IFIS is published in Imported Food Notices. Refer to these notices for tests that are applied to specific foods. There may also be Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) requirements for any beef product that is imported. Refer to the BSE Notices for further information on BSE requirements.