Fermented foods, the Food Standards Code and other safety regulatory issues

The fermentation of foods is one of the oldest ways to prepare food, often imbuing the final product with authentic and unique flavours. A previous edition of Food Legal Bulletin has addressed trends in fermented foods and general notions about safety of these products. This article focuses on the microbiological, toxicological and regulatory issues that relate to fermented foods, including beverages. We address regulatory concerns regarding fermented foods in the specific context of fermentation and related processes, as fermented foods are also subject of all other provisions in the Food Standards Code.