How are dangerous foods from overseas available in Australia?
Journalists: Manpreet K. Singh and Samsher Kainth
Supervisor: Florencia Melgar Hourcade
SBS Punjabi. 2015 & 2017
This was a major, year-long SBS Punjabi investigation that I supervised from its inception through to publication and follow-up, working hands-on with the journalists throughout the investigative process. It was a privilege to support journalists Manpreet K. Singh and Samsher Kainth as the investigation developed.
The investigation began in 2015 after approximately 300 kilograms of ephedrine, a precursor used in the manufacture of illicit drugs, was discovered concealed in a shipment of basmati rice imported from India. The team began examining whether rapidly expanding trade between Australia and India could create additional vulnerabilities at the border. The reporting subsequently reached Senate Estimates, where the head of the Australian Border Force acknowledged the potential for increased trade flows under free-trade arrangements to increase the risk of prohibited substances entering Australia.
From that initial inquiry, we expanded the investigation into a much broader examination of the safety and regulation of imported food. Concerns had emerged about products such as Indian-made Maggi noodles—which had been subject to action in India over excessive lead levels—remaining available in Australia, alongside reports of mouldy, contaminated, tampered, expired and incorrectly labelled products being sold through some grocery stores.
Over almost a year, the team purchased a range of commonly consumed imported products, including rice, flour, lentils, spices, ghee and children's products, and arranged independent laboratory testing through Australia's National Measurement Institute. We worked with multiple experts to interpret the results and understand their significance within Australian food standards and the wider regulatory system.
The findings were significant. Testing identified products that breached Australian standards and others containing concerning levels of substances including heavy metals, arsenic, pesticide and insecticide residues. Subsequent testing of imported basmati rice found two of four samples failed Australian requirements. The reporting also documented foods apparently intended for other international markets being sold in Australia, altered or problematic labelling, and products that were mouldy, insect-infested or otherwise unsuitable for sale.
The investigation then uncovered an additional and particularly serious problem: illegal opiate-containing Kamini tablets and other prohibited products were readily available through some grocery stores in Australia. Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of opium in Kamini, while further reporting examined how these products were entering and being distributed within Australia.
Taken together, the reporting exposed broader weaknesses in Australia's imported-food regulatory system. Only a small proportion of relevant food imports were being inspected or tested at the border, responsibility was divided between different levels of government, and the system relied substantially on importers meeting their regulatory obligations. The investigation highlighted vulnerabilities involving parallel imports, enforcement, product traceability and differences between Australian and overseas food standards.
There was political and regulatory response. Senator Nick Xenophon raised the findings in the federal Parliament, and expressed concerns about Australia's approach to imported-food safety and biosecurity, and called for an urgent investigation into the importation and sale of Kamini involving relevant federal authorities. The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources subsequently investigated the SBS findings. Government testing confirmed one of the laboratory findings involving imported rice, and authorities introduced increased border inspection and testing of consignments of the affected product.
For me, the significance of this project lies not only in the individual findings but in the investigative process as a whole: beginning with one suspicious shipment, following the evidence across trade, border protection, food safety and illicit drugs, commissioning independent scientific testing, bringing specialist expertise into the journalism, identifying systemic regulatory weaknesses, and continuing the reporting until it produced parliamentary scrutiny and a tangible regulatory response.
The investigation was subsequently recognised internationally, becoming a finalist in the Association for International Broadcasting Awards for Best Investigative Story – Audio.
It's the tip of the iceberg and I'm looking forward to seeing other colleagues following this lead.