Can homemade pickles be brought to Australia?
Whatever type of food you bring in, you MUST declare it, or face a penalty for not declaring.
Note: The penalty is for NOT declaring, even if the food is allowed.
Commercially prepared and home-made preserved fruits and vegetables can be imported, if they have been prepared using a method of preserving or pickling outlined below, and are contained in clean and new packaging.
Jam, chutneys and canned, bottled or preserved fruit and vegetables (with or without seeds) are allowed into Australia if they are:
- preserved or pickled by an acceptable method as defined below; and/or
- canned or aseptically* packaged as defined below.
- … etc
Source: www.agriculture.gov.au/preserved-fruit-and-vegetables
* Aseptic packaging is the process by which microorganisms are prevented from entering a package during and after packaging. During aseptic processing, a sterilized package is filled with a commercially sterile food product and sealed within the confines of a hygienic environment.