Notice – Australian Standards for Hygienic Pet Food Production
For kangaroo meat export, there is an Australian Government requirement that a human grade blue food dye is added to all kangaroo pet meat.
This practice has occurred for many years and is completely safe. It has no impact on the taste or nutritional value of our high quality meat products.
The dye may occasionally appear in finished product and will vary from batch to batch.
The relevant extract from the Australian standard is below
- Product identification (staining) Outcome required Pet meat does not present a food safety risk to the well-being of pets and is suitably identified to prevent unintended use and substitution for human consumption product.
- 7.1 Except where alternate identification is approved by a controlling authority by means of an approved arrangement, pet meat intended to be sold without being subjected to an approved heat treatment process shall be identified by staining with Brilliant Blue FCF (CI 42090). Such staining shall be applied to a carcase after skinning but before the carcase is broken up. In the case of field-dressed pet meat the stain shall be applied to meat surfaces in the field.
- 7.2 Staining shall be applied in such a manner that product is, at all times, clearly identified as being pet meat.
- 7.3 The surface of pet meat shall be stained in accordance with this Standard before delivery to a retail pet meat shop.
- 7.4 Where meat prepared for human consumption is delivered to a retail pet meat shop for use as pet meat it must be stained in accordance with this Standard before storage, display for sale or sale.
- 7.5 A person shall not remove nor attempt to remove any stain or staining material from meat that has been stained under this Standard.
