backFAQ’s
Find answers to common questions asked about the health and nutrition benefits of our high protein snacks and meat products. If you still can’t find your answer you can contact us
Country of Origin statements on our retail packs are intended to provide information about the origin of the food purchased.
The Country of Origin mark has 3 design elements:
- Kangaroo logo – signifies the product was manufactured in Australia
- Declaration of the minimum content (percentage by weight) of Australian ingredients (which are declared in the ingredient list) used to make the product
- A representation of the percentage of Australian ingredients on a bar below the Kangaroo logo
For more detail, please refer to the ACCC website here.
As an Australian manufacturer of meat products we purchase the largest volume of Australian pork in the country, however, we also purchase imported pork from North America and Europe to supplement the production requirements and maintain our products at an affordable price for our customers. All pork meat imported into Australia is done so under very strict quarantine legislation governed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE). Rigorous Australian regulations also govern how imported pork meat is used in the manufacture of products in Australia.
Certain lines of products are manufactured using specifically Australian pork.
- All products containing bones, for example, Bone in Leg Ham, Bone in Christmas Ham, Semi Boneless Ezy Cut Ham, Semi Boneless Picnic Ham.
- All our fermented products (Salami)
The labelling of our products is in accordance with the current FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) legislation.
Nitrates and nitrites have been used as food additives in cured meats for many years, primarily to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Adding nitrites or nitrates improves the microbiological safety of these foods and maintains their safe shelf life.
Nitrites are added to processed meats during the manufacturing process. Nitrites have multiple effects:
- Preservative effect to keep the meat fresh, maintain the microbiological safety of products and maintain the shelf life and adding flavour.
- Colour – change the meat to a stable pink colour characteristic of ham or bacon.
If nitrites were not used, the Ham/Bacon would have the colour and flavour of roast pork. Some pork products do not have nitrite e.g. fresh sausages and roast pork.
The level of nitrite added to meat products is regulated by Australian food law.
Hans products are ranged across Coles, Woolworths, IGA, Independent Grocers and Delicatessens right across Australia. To find out where you can buy specific products, you can email us here.
All Hans products available in retail packs and delicatessens are gluten free.
All ingredients selected and purchased for the manufacturing sites are gluten free. In addition, we require Ingredients containing dextrose or maltodextrin are derived from sources that do not contain gluten.
We do periodic validation of our gluten free policy with scheduled gluten testing of products, but most of the control we have is through exclusion of ingredients containing gluten from the manufacturing sites.
Allergen information is available on each of our packs.
All of our products are gluten free and other allergens are highlighted in bold in line with Australian regulation & to make them easier to find on pack.
Information on how long the product can be stored for and the best before date or use by date can be found on the pack. To maintain food safety, Hans products need to be refrigerated after opening.
Our products can be frozen for up to 6 months unless otherwise stated on packaging. Once frozen product must only be thawed when ready for immediate consumption. If you choose to freeze our product, it must be frozen before the use by date. The use by date is only valid if the product remains within correct storage conditions and packaging integrity is not compromised.
As the product relies on a drying process, there will be a certain amount of variation in the extent of adhesion of the casing to the product.
The temperature of the product can impact on the peelability of the fibrous food grade casing and by placing the unit into the freezer for an hour or so firms up the outer edge and facilitates the peeling process.
No, Hans products are not Halal.
It is recommended pregnant women DO NOT eat processed meat including ham, salami, luncheon, chicken meat etc. as there is a higher risk those foods may contain harmful bacteria such as listeria or salmonella. To find out more about Food Safety during pregnancy click here.
The best way to heat hot dogs is to add them to the water while it’s still warming up, or just as it begins to boil (refer to pack for heating instructions). If you add hot dogs to already boiling water they’re more likely to split. Of course the hot dogs taste the same whether or not they’ve split but it obviously affects the appearance.
Some meat products are exempt from the legal requirement to declare meat percentage.
Products that undergo significant weight loss (drying) during manufacture are among those not required to declare a meat percentage.
The best example of this is our salamis. Salamis are made with no added water and contain less than 10% non-meat ingredients like spices and salt. During the manufacturing process the salami is dried for preservation and shelf stability, resulting in a theoretical meat percentage greater than 100% because the weight of fresh meat used to produce the salami is actually more than the weight of the end product. A batch of salami may use 90kg of fresh meat to produce 70kg of finished product.
For more detail, please refer to the Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.10:
For food safety reasons all food products must be packaged in materials that provide adequate protection against contamination as well as maintain the integrity of the pack vacuum or gas flushed environment over the product shelf life through distribution, display for sale and storage at home after purchase. This means all Hans products are packed in a way that maintains freshness and food safety. These requirements necessitate the use of multi-laminate barrier packaging materials, which cannot currently be recycled in Australia.
Hans is committed to regular evaluation of the environmental impact of product packaging. We will continue to work with our approved packaging suppliers with respect to developments in the technology and suitability of available packaging materials.
All cartons used to distribute and display our products are 100% recyclable and contain a high proportion of recycled cardboard.