I. CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLs)

Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.

Cherry MRLs in Top Markets

II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION

A. Chemical residue standards:

(1) Australia sets its own Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for chemicals on food.  It does not defer to Codex standards in the absence of its own established MRL for a particular chemical.  (2) Australia cooperates with New Zealand in monitoring the food supply system of the two countries under the umbrella of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

B. Monitoring chemical residues:

(1) A governmental pesticide monitoring program for imported food is implemented by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF), through the Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS).  A distinction is made for purposes of frequency of inspections between risk categorized food and a surveillance category (low-risk food). (2) Importers, wholesalers and some retailers commonly use a private sector industry “Fresh Test Program” introduced in 2002 for the independent sampling and analysis for pesticide residues (also microbial contamination) on imported and domestic fresh fruit. Samples are normally collected at wholesale by an independent party, the shipment is released, the sample tested and confidential reports are made back to the business requiring the tests.  An active system of investigation, corrective action, and re-testing is in place should an adverse result be obtained.

An adverse result is defined as one where the MRL is exceeded or where, under FSANZ, Australia has no established MRL for the particular chemical.  If there is no MRL, then under local law there should be no detectable residue.

C. Restrictions on use of waxes:

None

III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS

None

IV. TARIFFS

Australia provides duty-free access for apples, pears, cherries and stone fruits.

V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS

A. Labeling requirements:

Shipping Containers

Packages containing products for intermediate sale (e.g. Northwest cherry sales to importers or retailers) requires the following information on each package:

• Exporter details: Name and contact information
• Importer details: Name and contact information
• Lot Code or Number
• Name of the fruit
• Variety
• Country of Origin

Note: Importer details and Lot Codes are required to satisfy the DAFF Imported Food Inspection Scheme/Program.

Consumer Packages

Packages of fresh fruit imported into Australia for sale directly to consumers must show the following information on the label:

• Name of the fruit
• Lot identification
• Country of Origin
  • For fruit shipped to Australia pre-packed into consumer packages (such as gusseted bags or clamshells), the shipper is responsible for ensuring a country of origin statement is on each consumer package.
  • For loose-packed fruit shipped to Australia and sold to consumers as loose fruit, the retailer is responsible for country of origin labeling.
  • For fruit shipped to Australia and packed into consumer packages in Australia, the Australian packer is responsible for placing country of origin statements on consumer packages.
• Net weight in metric terms
• Best before date
• Statement on storage conditions (For example:  “Keep refrigerated below 5ºC ”)
• Name and address of the Australian supplier (importer)

Australian DAFF officials randomly inspect imports at port of entry for compliance with labeling regulations.  More information on these inspections may be found online at  Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS).