Case Glossary

Retorted Products

Retorted products are heated in an unopened, hermetically sealed container for a time, and to a temperature beyond 100°C, sufficient to render the contents commercially sterile. In order to meet the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment requirements, all retorted products must not require freezing or refrigeration in order to maintain quality.

Retorting

Retorting refers to the process of cooking canned food or food in a retort pouch after it has been sealed in the container. The packages either go through a continuous retort (i.e. continually moving conveyor system) or may be cooked in a batch retort (i.e. big sealed pressure cooker). Many different types of food may be canned and retorted e.g. canned fruit and vegetables, canned meals (e.g. Irish stew), canned soups, retort pouches of tuna, etc

Hermetically sealed

A package is hermetically sealed if it is 'airtight' e.g. Heat sealed plastic bag, sealed can or glass jar with screw cap. Hermetically sealed goods may also be heat treated but ‘hermetically sealed’ is not the same as ‘canned’ or ‘retorted’. Many foods are packed in hermetically sealed containers, but do not undergo heat treatments in that package. These foods cannot be treated as retorted foods as they may not be sterile. Examples of such foods are milk powders, Milo and some types of cheeses.

Retort Pouches/Packaging

A retort pouch/package is a lightweight, flexible container or pouch in which foods are heated and sterilised. Retort pouches generally have the following features:

1. Manufactured from laminated polyester, nylon and/or aluminium. The polyester and nylon films usually have a layer of aluminium foil between them.
2. Material used for manufacture of retort pouches may be thicker than the polyethylene used for vacuum pouches.
3. Soft and flexible to touch.
4. Do not require special storage conditions to maintain product quality e.g. refrigeration to maintain food quality prior to opening i.e. are shelf stable.

Vacuum Packaging (eg. Corvac or Cryovac)

Vacuum packaging refers to food that is packaged in heat sealed polyethylene bags, from which the air has been removed prior to sealing. ‘Vacuum packaging’ is not the same as ‘retort packaging’. Features of vacuum packaging include:
1. Generally constructed of transparent nylon or polythene in varying thicknesses (no aluminium foil).
2. Soft plastic and wrinkled appearance due to the bag clinging to the product as there is no air inside the bag.
3. Some vacuum packaged foods require special storage conditions to maintain product quality e.g. vacuum packaged meat or fish require refrigeration, i.e. are not shelf stable.
4. Some vacuum packaged foods do not require special storage conditions to maintain product quality e.g. ground coffee, nuts.

Shelf Stable

Shelf stable refers to food that will last for an extended period of time, packaged or not, without any special storage conditions. For example heat-treated canned/retorted food will last many years on the shelf.

Goods include:

1. An animal
2. A plant
3. A sample or specimen of a disease agent
4. A pest
5. Mail; and
6. Any other article substance or thing.

Goods does not include ballast water or human remains. It also does not include a conveyance, except in certain circumstances.

The import conditions which have been provided for "human consumption" cases in BICON have been developed to mitigate the potential biosecurity risks associated with the import of goods for human consumption only.

These import conditions will not appropriately mitigate the increased biosecurity risk associated with feeding (or in any way exposing) animal derived materials to animals. As such, goods imported under human consumption cases may not be fed (or exposed) to animals.

Goods intended for animal use must meet the import conditions provided under the appropriate case e.g. 'Pet food', 'Stock feed including supplements' and 'Aquaculture including pet fish food'.

The department will assess the application and on the basis of that assessment may decide to grant an import permit subject to any conditions deemed necessary for safe importation, use and disposal of those products.

It should be noted that applying for an import permit does not automatically result in an import permit being issued. The Director of biosecurity or their delegate issues the import permit. You should ensure that an application is submitted for each product type and that the prescribed fee accompanies the import permit application.

'Krill' is a generic term for shrimp-like planktonic crustaceans (euphausids). These are not prawns.

The following is a list of all currently identified species of krill:

Euphausia brevis
Euphausia crystallorophias (Ice krill)
Euphausia frigida
Euphausia krohni
Euphausia longirostris
Euphausia lucens
Euphausia pacifica
Euphausia similis
Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill)
Euphausia tricantha
Euphausia vallentini
Meganyctiphanes norvegica
Nematobrachion boopis
Nematobrachion flexipes
Nematoscelis difficilis
Nematoscelis megalops
Nyctiphanes australis
Nyctiphanes capensis
Nyctiphanes couchii
Nyctiphanes simplex
Pseudeuphausia latifrons
Stylocheiron abbreviatum
Stylocheiron affine
Stylocheiron carinatum
Stylocheiron elongatum
Stylocheiron longicorne
Stylocheiron longirostris
Stylocheiron maximum
Stylocheiron suhmii
Tessarabrachion oculatum
Thysanoessa gregaria
Thysanoessa inermis
Thysanoessa longipes
Thysanoessa macrura
Thysanopoda obtusifrons

A product is shelf-stable if:

1. the product has been commercially manufactured
   

2. the product has been packaged by the manufacturer
   

3. the product is in that package
   

4. the package has not been opened or broken
   

5. the product:
   

   5.1. is able to be stored in the package at room or ambient temperature
   

   5.2. does not require refrigeration or freezing before the package is opened.