Kava

All biosecurity requirements must be met before Imported Food Inspection Scheme requirements apply.

Check our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) for biosecurity import conditions.

An import permit issued by the Department of Health is required to import kava into Australia. Check guidance on completing applications for a permit.

Refer to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for further information about Australia’s kava pilot and fact sheets on import requirements.

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.

Kava products are classified as risk food

Kava products permitted by Standard 2.6.3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code as food for sale are either:

• a beverage obtained by the aqueous suspension of kava (Piper methysticum) root using cold water only, and not using any organic solvent
• dried or raw kava (Piper methysticum) root. This includes
  • kava root chips
  • kava root powder
  • whole kava root

and

• must not contain as an ingredient or a component any substance used as either a food additive or a processing aid
• must be derived from the peeled root or peeled rootstock of a Noble variety of kava.

Exclusions

• Food from New Zealand.
• Kava in any other form to that described and permitted by Standard 2.6.3 is not permitted to be imported as food for sale.

Community Protection (CP) question

You will need to answer this CP question when lodging your full import declaration:

IFIS: Are the goods, or do the goods contain, kava (Piper methysticum) for human consumption?

Inspection

We refer consignments of kava for inspection to conduct a visual and label assessment. Labelling must comply with Part 1.2 and Standard 2.6.3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and country of origin labelling requirements.

Kava must be labelled with the warning statements:

• Use in moderation
• May cause drowsiness.

Refer to our kava fact sheet for further information about import and labelling requirements.

Food safety risks

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has given us advice about the risk of kava. This food presents a potential medium or high risk to public health.

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