Imported food data reports and surveys

We provide reports of inspection data and surveys on imported foods.

Imported food inspection data

We refer imported foods for inspection and testing under our Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS).

We publish summary data about our imported food inspections.

12-monthly reports

6-monthly reports

Imported food surveys

We conduct surveys to gather data to:

• help inform our inspection and testing of imported food, or
• provide to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to support their risk assessment processes.

Carbon Monoxide in Fish Pilot Survey

Since 2006, we received several complaints from industry expressing concern about imports of tuna. These had been subjected to carbon monoxide (CO) treatment to fix the colour of the flesh. This can potentially mislead consumers by masking the age and condition of fish.

In May to July 2017, we undertook a small and targeted pilot survey to:

• ascertain if there is any evidence that imports of tuna are being treated with CO
• assess if the level of CO in tuna had any correlation with histamine levels.

Findings

• There is evidence that tuna in the Australian marketplace has been treated with CO, some of which may be imported tuna.
• No correlation was found between high levels of CO and histamine levels. All samples recorded levels of <10 mg/kg of histamine.