FSANZ's Set of User Guides to Answer Questions About What Labels Will Look Like In The New Food Rules - AND YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT
Food Labelling for the New Millennium
The "new" food rules are set out in Volume 2 of the Food Standards Code. The "new" Code was adopted in November 2000. It was agreed that there would be a 2 YEAR TRANSITION PERIOD. During this 2 year phase in period, foods in Australia may comply with either the "old" Code - Volume 1 of the Food Standards Code - or the "new" Code - BUT NOT A COMBINATION OF THESE.
As well as complying with food standards requirements, food manufacturers and retailers must also continue to comply with other legislation. In Australia , this legislation includes: the Trade Practices Act 1974, the Imported Food Control Act 1992 and the state and territory Fair Trading Acts and Food Acts.
What has Changed?
More comprehensive labelling requirements have been introduced in the "new" code to ensure that consumers have adequate information in relation to food to enable them to make informed choices.
Labelling requirements for foods have been strengthened and extended. Initiatives such as allergen labelling, mandatory nutrition information labelling and percentage labelling aim to provide consumers with important information about the composition and nutritional value of the foods they eat. Date marking requirements have been extended and there are fewer exemptions from ingredient listing on food labels. THE "NEW" CODE ALSO SPECIFIES WHAT INFORMATION MUST BE PROVIDED TO CONSUMERS WHEN FOOD IS SOLD UNPACKAGED OR IN OTHER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
What are the General Labelling Requirements?
- Name/Description of the Food - Suppliers must not represent foods in a false, misleading or deceptive nature. The label must include a name or description of the food sufficient to indicate the true nature of the food.
- Lot Identification - This is required to assist in the rare event of a food recall. A date mark and the supplier's address can help satisfy the requirements of a lot mark. There are some specific exemptions from lot identification. These exemptions cover individual portions and small packages when the bulk packages and bulk container in which the food is stored or displayed for sale includes a lot identification.
- Name and Business Address - The name of the supplier includes packer, manufacturer, vendor or importer of food. Business address means the location of the premises from which a business is being operated and includes the street number, the street name, the town or suburb and in Australia , the state or territory. A post office address is no longer sufficient.
- Mandatory Warning and Advisory Statements and Declarations - The "new" Code requires suppliers to inform consumers how to safely store and or use a product. There are prescribed statements (which include warning statements), an advisory statement or a specific declaration, depending on the degree of risk to the health and safety of consumers.
- Ingredient Listing - Ingredients and compound ingredients must be declared in a statement of ingredients in descending order of ingoing weight [subject to limited exceptions. Clause 2 of "new" Standard 1.2.4 lists exemptions from ingredient labelling.]
- Date Marking - Packaged food is generally required to be date marked. A date mark will usually be in the form of a "best before" date. Foods with a "best before" date of two or more years is exempt from date marking. [Additional exemptions, including those for small packages, are set out in Clause 2 of "new" Standards 1.2.5.] Where health and safety is a factor in storage/use, foods must carry a "use by" date. There are prescribed forms for date marks and dates and requirements to include statements of specific storage conditions on labels of packaged food.
- Nutritional Information - Suppliers are required to provide consumers with basic nutrition information about energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and the sodium content of the food. A nutritional information panel must be in a prescribed format and must include the number of servings of the food in the package as well as the average quantity of the food in a serving and the unit quantity of the food.
- Percentage Labelling (characterizing ingredients and components) - The "new" Code has a requirement for listing characterizing ingredients as a percentage of the product. The % declaration is calculated on the basis of the ingoing weight of the characterizing ingredient or component.
- Directions for Usage and Storage - The "new" Code requires suppliers to inform consumers how to safely store and or use a product. It is mandatory, where, without these directions for use, there is a potential concern for public health and safety.
- Country of Origin - A label must include a statement that identifies the country in which the food was made or produced.
- Legibility Requirements - The "new" Code requires labels to be legible, prominent, in English and distinct from the background. Warning statements must be printed in type that is at least 3mm high.
To assist with the interpretation of the "new" Code, FSANZ has produced a series of user guides on:
Overview of Food Labelling, Legibility Requirements for Food Labels, Nutrition Information Requirements, Information Requirements for Foods Exempt from Bearing a Label, Warning and Advisory Declarations, Ingredient Labelling, Date Marking, Representations about Food, Percentage Labelling, Food Additives, Meat and Meat Products, Microbiological Limits for Foods, Methods of Analysis for Foods, Generally Expected Levels (GELS) for Metal Contaminants, GM Food Labelling.
FSANZ has released a package on nutrition labelling i.e. a user guide and free web nutrition panel calculator. This calculator allows you to enter your recipe and then it will automatically calculate a nutrition information panel for 4 500 commonly used foods. Or they can be ordered via the
FSANZ's website: www.foodstandards.gov.au
