Food Standards Australia New Zealand chief executive Steve McCutcheon said the kernels, both with and without skin, posed an acute public health and safety risk.
“Raw apricot kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, which are broken down to release cyanide when eaten,” McCutcheon said.
“There have been a number of cases of cyanide poisoning related to consumption of apricot kernels.”
While some consumers believe the product can help cure or prevent cancer, McCutcheon said there was no credible evidence of this.
The prohibition does not apply to apricot kernel-derived ingredients, which can be shown to be safe to use as ingredients in other foods.
In September, the Fsanz board approved a proposal to prohibit the sale of raw apricot kernels, which food safety ministers agreed to adopt.
Citing instances of cyanide poisoning in Canada, the proposal noted that such reports sometimes resulted from the consumption of apricot kernels for medicinal or natural health purposes.
It pointed out that in Europe, 15 notifications on cyanide in apricot kernels were transmitted through the Rapid Alert System for Food Feed database of the European Commission between 2005 and 2008.
The proposal was prepared to assess the public health risks of some foods derived from plants containing cyanogenic glycosides and to develop appropriate risk management strategies for them, including a need for food regulatory measures in the food standards code.