2. Review the poster on food labelling (‘Food labels – What do they mean’) by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) at www.foodstandards.gov.au. Search under the ‘Food matters’ heading and then under ‘Food labelling’.

Most of the packaged food must have a nutritional information panel. The information must be presented in a standard format (as shown in the image to the right) which shows the amount per serving and per 100g for any food, or 100mL for any liquid. There are only a few exceptions to requiring a nutrition information panel. For example:

• Extremely small packaging that are roughly the size of a large chewing gum packet
• Food that has no significant nutritional value (like a single herb or spice, tea, and coffee)
• Foods that are sold unpackaged (unless a nutrition claim is made)
• Food made and packaged at the point of sale (such as freshly made bread in a local bakery)

Packaged foods have to carry labels that show the percentage of the key ingredients or components in the food product. This enables the customer to compare similar products. As shown in the ingredient list from the nutritional information panel below shows that in this item there is 8% banana, 8% strawberry, 4% grape, 2% peach and 2% pineapple. Some foods though (white bread or cheese) have no characterising ingredients. 

All foods must be labelled with an accurate name or description (e.g. ‘fruit yoghurt’ MUST contain fruit) If the product were to contain fruit flavourings instead of real fruit, than the label MUST say ‘fruit flavoured yoghurt’.

Considering the number of foods available, recalls of unsafe of unsuitable foods are infrequent. Food labels must have the name and business address In Australia or New Zealand of the manufacturer or importer, as well as the lot identification of the food. This makes food recalls (if necessary) more efficient and effective.

Some foods, food ingredients or components of an ingredient can cause severe allergic reactions in some people (anaphylaxis) Foods like peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, finned fish, milk and eggs and their products (when present in food) could cause severe allergic reactions and MUST be declared on the label whatever the quantity. Gluten is also included in the list, but the caution is more for people with Coeliac Disease instead of an allergy.

Any labelling requirement legally required in the Food Standards Code must be legible, prominent, and distinct from the background and in English. The size must be at least 3mm high, with an exception of very small packages.  

Suppliers must label food products with accurate weights information. Weights and measures declarations are controlled by Australian State and Territory and New Zealand Government fair trading agencies.

Date marking that is having either a ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date, gives you a guide about the length of time a food should be kept before it begins to fade.

When specific storage conditions are required, manufacturers must include this information on the label. For example, ‘This yoghurt should be kept refrigerated at or below 4°C’.
In Australia, packaged (and some unpackaged) foods must state the country where the food was either produced or made. This could just be identifying the country where the food was packaged for retail sale, and if any of the ingredients do not originate from that country, a statement that the food is made from imported or local and imported ingredients.

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. If fat, sugar or salt are listed near the start of the list, the product contains a greater proportion of these ingredients. If the product contains water, it also must be listed in the ingredients according to its ingoing weight.

Food additives play an important part in the food supply, ensuring that our food is safe and meets the needs of the consumer. The food additives list can be confusing, so, to help reduce the confusion, each food additive is given a short code number. Food additives are used in processed foods in relatively small quantities.