Importing Frozen Japanese Tamago (omelette)
Hi everyone,
Our company plans to import frozen Japanese egg omelette, and I am wondering if there are any requirements/ restrictions when importing such kind of product? any license needed? storage conditions? do we need to segregate it? We are a meat manufacturing and seafood distributor.
Your advice is much appreciated.
Can't speak to import regs or licensing. Storage conditions, yes, it probably needs to be checked at receiving that it's still frozen and kept as such for the duration you're holding it. Segregation is an absolute must as it contains an allergen (egg) and tamago often contains soy as well, so it cannot be stacked above or comingled with your meat and seafood.
As this is a commodity unlike the meats you process or the seafood you distribute, you'll need to update your HACCP plan to reflect the new commodity. Pretty straight forward if you're just distributing it, but if you're bringing it in to add to a meat dish you manufacture, a new and separate plan may be required due to different hazards associated with using it as an ingredient. Allergen program needs to be updated too.