Although Australia is a major producer of raw materials and processed foods, imports still represent a considerable and growing proportion of available food and beverages. While locally based producers provide over 90 percent of domestic consumption, imports have increased steadily in recent years. There are a number of reasons for this:
The changing population mix in a multicultural society, whereby people desire foods typical of their native cultures;
The increasing variety of quality, low cost foods available from developing countries;
The inability of domestic food producers to satisfy local demand;
Australian consumer tastes are changing - people are prepared to experiment with new foods and cuisines; and
The relatively strong Australian dollar.
Also, many imported foods do not compete with domestic products, because Australia does not produce or process such foods or local production is insufficient to meet demand.
All foods sold in Australia must comply with a range of laws designed to protect public health and safety, to ensure plant and animal pests and diseases are not introduced, and to assist consumers. These laws apply equally to imported and locally produced foods. The information contained in this report deals with both public health and quarantine (i.e. animal and plant health) requirements for foods imported into Australia.
All food imported into Australia must first comply with quarantine and imported food requirements and then with food safety requirements. Quarantine requirements are the first barrier that must be cleared for all imported food.
