Eating kangaroo meat is legal in most countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe. In the United States, it’s legal in every state except California, where selling or importing kangaroo products has been a criminal offense for decades. The legality depends not just on where you live, but on how the meat was sourced and whether it meets local import regulations.
Legality in Australia
Kangaroo meat has been legal for human consumption in all Australian states and territories since 1993. Before that, only South Australia allowed it, and in other states the meat was primarily used in pet food. Today, kangaroo is sold in supermarkets and served in restaurants across the country, treated much like any other game meat.
The industry is tightly regulated at both the state and federal level. Under federal law, each state must develop a wildlife trade management plan that gets approved by the national government before any commercial harvesting or export can happen. Five states currently have approved plans: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. Licensed hunters operate under annual quotas set after aerial population surveys. In New South Wales alone, the 2024 survey estimated 13.9 million kangaroos across the four commercially harvested species, and the state set a harvest quota of 15% for 2025. Nationally, the commercial kangaroo industry is worth roughly $200 million per year.
Legality in the United States
Kangaroo meat is legal to buy, sell, and eat in 49 U.S. states. You can find it at specialty butchers, some grocery stores, and online meat retailers that import it from Australia.
California is the exception. Under Penal Code Section 653o, it is illegal to import for commercial purposes, possess with intent to sell, or sell kangaroo products within the state. Kangaroo appears on a list alongside species like polar bears, tigers, and sea turtles. Violating the law is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $5,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, for each offense. This law has been on the books for years and has survived multiple legislative attempts to repeal it, largely driven by the soccer cleat industry (kangaroo leather is prized for high-end boots).
If you’re in California, you can’t legally purchase kangaroo meat from a retailer. Personal consumption of meat you already possess isn’t explicitly targeted by the statute, but the practical effect is that you won’t find it for sale anywhere in the state.
Legality in Europe and Other Markets
Kangaroo meat is legal and commercially available in the United Kingdom, Germany, and several other European countries. The European Union permits imports of kangaroo meat products, including sausages, pies, curries, and other preparations, provided Australian exporters meet EU certification requirements. Australia’s agriculture department lists no prohibited kangaroo products for the EU market.
Some countries restrict or ban kangaroo imports on animal welfare grounds, and regulations can shift. Russia banned kangaroo meat imports in 2009 over food safety concerns, though the ban has been revisited. If you’re outside Australia, the U.S., or Europe, check your country’s import rules before ordering online.
How Kangaroo Harvesting Works
Unlike cattle or poultry, kangaroos aren’t farmed. All commercial kangaroo meat comes from wild animals harvested by licensed shooters operating in designated zones. Hunters must follow the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies, which mandates a single shot to the head for an instant kill. Processing facilities must be registered, and carcasses are inspected before entering the supply chain.
Population management is the core justification for the harvest. Without culling, kangaroo populations can explode during good rainfall years and then crash during droughts, causing ecological damage to grasslands and competition with livestock. The quota system is designed to keep populations stable rather than reduce them.
Nutrition Compared to Beef
Kangaroo is one of the leanest red meats available. A 100-gram serving contains about 23% protein and just 2.6% fat. For comparison, the same amount of beef has roughly 19% protein and nearly 16% fat, making kangaroo significantly leaner on both counts.
It’s also unusually rich in iron and B vitamins. That same 100-gram serving provides about 35% of the daily iron requirement and 40% of the daily riboflavin (vitamin B2) need, along with meaningful amounts of zinc, potassium, and phosphorus. Kangaroo meat also contains high concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat linked to reduced body fat and improved metabolic health in some studies.
Food Safety Considerations
Because kangaroo is wild-harvested rather than farm-raised, it carries some food safety risks that differ from conventional meat. All commercially hunted kangaroo species test positive for Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis. In 1995, an outbreak of 12 toxoplasmosis cases in Australia, including one case of transmission to an unborn child, was traced back to undercooked kangaroo meat.
Notably, neither Australia nor New Zealand currently requires routine screening of kangaroo meat for foodborne pathogens like Toxoplasma. Pathogen testing isn’t part of the official Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, and it’s also absent from the National Code of Practice for harvesting. Researchers have called for routine checks to be added, but as of now, the responsibility falls largely on the consumer.
The practical takeaway: cook kangaroo meat thoroughly. It’s best treated like other game meats. While many chefs recommend serving kangaroo steaks medium-rare to avoid toughness (the low fat content means it dries out quickly), cooking to at least medium and ensuring no pink remains in the center is the safer choice, especially for pregnant women and anyone with a compromised immune system. Ground kangaroo and sausages should be cooked all the way through.