7 Bizarre Foods Confiscated at Australian Borders

Australia is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Every year millions of people come to visit our beautiful oasis.  In an attempt to keep Australia safe, Australian officials screen passengers to ensure they aren't bringing anything dangerous into the country. If you saw some of the items that comes through the airports, you would be in shock. Here are just a few of the many bizarre foods that are confiscated at Australian borders every year.

 

Everyday foods that are considered high risk get destroyed before making their way into Australia.  Reportedly in 2013-14 alone over 60 tonnes of food was destroyed because it posed a serious threat to the agricultural and horticultural industries in this country.As surprising as it may sound, one of the worst offenders is the apple. This simple little fruit can have devastating effects on Australian crops. This is because a lot of apples are known to be infected with deadly diseases. This is also true for dates and salami.

 

Beef, beans, bananas and a variety of other fruits are also on the list of foods that could potentially bring unwanted diseases into the country. In a years span close to 24,000 travelers will get screened on a daily basis for bringing in bio security risk materials. While many passengers will declare their items, there are just as many that don't. Because of this some items aren't discovered until the luggage is screened. In some cases these items may not be located at all.

 

As you can imagine, with so many people being screened you are bound to run into some very bizarre food items. One of the most bizarre was frozen frog meat. Yes you read that right. A passenger flying in from Vietnam to Melbourne International was carrying frozen frog meat in their luggage. Here's the thing though. You can actually bring frog meat into the country as long as it’s canned.

 

If that didn't send shivers down your spine I am sure that this one will.In Sydney officers discovered a suckling pig in a passenger’s luggage. These animals are exotic and carry exotic diseases. They could bring in illnesses such as swine fever and foot and mouth disease.

 

Other bizarre food items confiscated include horse meat, snake meat and painted chicken feet just to name a few. Finding and seizing these items is not always an easy job. But it has to be done in order to protect the safety and health of Australia. If some of these items make it into the Australian economy they could wreak serious havoc. Not only do they have the potential to cause death, but they can also have huge financial consequences on various industries.

 

According to the head of border compliance, their primary focus is always fresh produce, fresh meat and fruit. That is because those three items pose the biggest risks.

 

With 15 million passengers making their way through Australian airports every year, you can believe biosecurity officers and quarantine officers have their hands full. Without them Australia could be dealing with some pretty serious issues.

Discover the perfect wedding with G'DayChef Catering Melbourne. Wedding catering specialists in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia who provide modern and high quality fresh food services for all events.

Learn more about us by visiting http://www.gdaychef.com.au - visit our official foodie blog at blog.gdaychef.com.au