Fish and Fish products

Fish and fish products for histamine analysis - Proposed risk food classification - request for comment.

Australia is preparing science-based risk statements on therisks associated with certain imported foods. As each risk statement is prepared, theyare published on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website(http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/importedfoods/Pages/FSANZ-advice-onimported-food.aspx).In response to the risk statement on fish and fish products for histamine, Australia isproposing changes to the inspection and analysis of specified fish and fish products.Australia proposes these changes to ensure that these fish and fish products do notcontain more than 200 mg/kg of histamine in the fish or fish products.Under the proposed changes:- fish and fish products that are, or contain more than 300 g/kg of, fish of the familiesScombridae, Coryphaenidae, Pomatomidae, Carangidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae orScomberesocidae would be classified as risk food under the Imported Food ControlAct 1992; and- the specified fish and fish products would be subject to an initial 100 per cent rate ofinspection and analysis for histamine. If consignments are found to comply with the200 mg/kg level in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code then this rate ofinspection and analysis would reduce to 25 per cent of consignments from eachproducer and then ultimately to 5 per cent of consignments from each producer.Specific detail on the kinds of fish and the initial increase in the rate of inspection andanalysis is available at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food/notices/ifn-17-16.It is expected that these changes would take effect in December 2016.