- PDF Version ( 15K) - Print Friendly - Help

Cassava Chips

NZFSA is advising importers of new requirements for cassava chips. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has amended an existing Standard (Standard 1.4.1 of the Food Standards Code (FSC)) on contaminants in food to include cassava chips.

Cassava chips must not contain more than 10mg/kg of hydrocyanic acid, total (HCN).

Standard 1.4.1 - Contaminants and Natural Toxicants -Chapter 1 - General Food Standards - Food Standards Australia New Zealand - FSANZ website

In response to this new requirement, NZFSA would like to remind importers of their responsibility under the Food Act 1981 for ensuring all food they import is safe and suitable for human consumption.

Importers and Retailers: what you can do

If you import cassava chips, you should do the following things to show that you are managing risks to food safety and suitability:

1. Seek assurances from your supplier

An assurance is a written statement that the food is safe for human consumption and does not contain physical contaminants, for example hydrocyanic acid, beyond permitted level.

An assurance may be an email, letter or fax. It must be signed by an authorised person in the supplying company. An assurance may be a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) that includes results of laboratory tests.

Check that the assurance or test results are specific to the food that you have purchased and imported by matching up product codes and batch numbers. Make sure that test results are from a reputable source, such as a laboratory accredited to ISO 17025 or similar, and signed by an authorised person, such as a Laboratory Supervisor or Laboratory Manager.

2. Keep traceability records

You should be able to identify your food and trace it forward to customers you have sold the food to and back to suppliers who you purchased it from. Traceability records are important for tracking the sale and distribution of food if it needs to be recalled from the market.

NZFSA may conduct surveys to ensure imported cassava chips do not contain more than 10mg/kg of hydrocyanic acid, total (HCN) and notify any actions required by importers of cassava chips.

Last updated: 17 July 2009