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Warning and advisory statements
Warning and advisory statements Advisory statements Advisory statements must be provided for certain foods or ingredients which may cause health risks for some consumers. Foods or ingredients that fall into this category include:
- aspartame - labels on food containing the intense sweetener aspartame must indicate the food contains phenylalanine (which can affect people with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria)
- guarana or guarana extracts - labels on food containing guarana or extracts of guarana (which is a natural source of caffeine) must indicate that the food contains caffeine
- plant sterols - labels on foods containing added plant sterols (…
Published December 2023
Country of origin labelling
Country of origin labelling Country of origin labelling requirements in Australia The Australian Government introduced a country of origin food labelling system under Australian Consumer Law on 1 July 2016. Country of origin labelling requirements for food is in the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. These requirements became mandatory on 1 July 2018. At the same time, the Food Standards Code was amended to remove country of origin labelling requirements. Further information on country of origin food labelling is available on the following websites:
- …
Published December 2023
Use-by and best-before dates
Use-by and best-before dates Date marks give a guide to how long food can be kept before it begins to deteriorate or may become unsafe to eat. The two types of date marking are use-by dates and best-before dates. The food supplier is responsible for placing a use-by or best-before date on food. Foods that must be eaten before a certain time for health or safety reasons should be marked with a use-by date. Foods should not be eaten after the use-by date and can't legally be sold after this date because they may pose a health or safety risk. Most foods have a best-before date. You can still eat foods for a while after the best-before date as they should be safe but they may have lost some quality. Foods that have a best-before date can legally be sold after that date provided the food is fit for human consumption…
Published December 2023
Fish names
Fish names The Food Standards Code does not define names for fish. The seafood industry has worked with Standards Australia to develop an Australian Fish Names Standard which provides guidance on standard fish names to be used in Australia. You can purchase electronic or hard copies of the standard (AS -SSA 5300) from the SAI Global website. A searchable database of Australian Fish Names is available on the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation website. Common Māori and scientific names for fish species in New Zealand are available from the Ministry for Primary…
Published February 2024
Ingredient lists and percentage labelling
Ingredient lists and percentage labelling Ingredient lists Ingredients must be listed in descending order (by ingoing weight). This means that when the food was manufactured, the first ingredient listed contributed the largest amount and the last ingredient listed contributed the least. For example, if sugar is listed near the start of the list the product contains a greater proportion of this ingredient. If the product contains added water, it must be listed in the ingredient list according to its ingoing weight, with an allowance made for any water lost during processing, e.g. water lost as steam. The only exceptions are when the added water:
- makes up less than 5% of the finished product,
- is part of a broth, brine or syrup that is listed in the ingredient list, or
- is used to…
Published December 2023
Nutrition content claims and health claims
Nutrition content claims and health claims Nutrition content claims and health claims are voluntary statements made by food businesses on labels and in food advertising. Standard 1.2.7 sets out requirements for making these claims. Nutrition content claims Nutrition content claims are about the content of certain nutrients or substances in a food, such as 'low in fat' or 'good source of calcium'. These claims need to meet certain criteria. For example, food with a 'good source of calcium' claim needs to contain at least the amount of calcium specified in the Standard. Health claims Health claims are about the relationship between a food and health effects. All health claims must be supported by scientific evidence. Health…
Published December 2023
Research work on Nutrition, Health and Related Claims
Research work on Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Research conducted in 2006 In order to further evaluate the best risk management options for nutrition content claims, research was conducted on consumer understanding of inclusion of percentage daily intake values (%DI) in the nutrition information panel, and on 'no added sugar' claims. FSANZ commissioned TNS Research to investigate consumer understanding and ability to use %DI and the percentage recommended dietary intake (%RDI) information to make product decisions, and consumer ability to use %DI information in the interpretation of nutrient content claims. In June 2006, 51 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted in Australia and New Zealand with consumers across a broad range of experiences. Current use of %RDI…
Published December 2023
Allergen labelling for consumers
Allergen labelling for consumers Some foods and ingredients can cause allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, immune reactions such as in Coeliac disease, and other adverse health reactions such as asthma. From 25 February 2024, food businesses are required to meet new plain English allergen labelling requirements for how certain foods known to be common allergens are declared. These changes will mean food allergen information is clearer and easier to find on food labels. If a food was packaged and labelled before the 25 February 2024, and it does not declare allergens in the new required format, then it can still be sold for another two years (until 25 February 2026). Allergen labelling still applies to food packaged and…
Published February 2024
Labelling information for consumers
Labelling information for consumers Food labels can provide a wide range of information to help consumers make food choices. Food labels also help to protect public health and safety by displaying information such as use by dates, ingredients, certain allergens, instructions for storage and preparation, and advisory and warning statements. FSANZ sets standards for what information must be on food labels. Related links
Published December 2023
Energy labelling of alcoholic beverages
Energy labelling of alcoholic beverages In response to a request from food ministers, FSANZ has been exploring energy labelling of alcoholic beverages. In June 2021, FSANZ completed an evidence assessment, including a literature review on consumer value, understanding and behaviour relating to energy labelling of alcoholic beverages, which:
- identified that, unlike most other packaged food and beverages, labels on most packaged alcoholic beverages do not provide information about energy content to enable consumers to make informed choices in line with dietary guidelines, and
- concluded that in the context of Australian and New Zealand dietary guidelines and ministerial policy guidance, labelling is an appropriate approach to address this issue. …
Published December 2023