Example no.4: Website Content

FSANZ

In Australia, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) – an independent statutory agency – develops and administers the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Included in the Code are the Food Labelling Standards, which outline how food items will be labelled. It is up to each state or territory to interpret and enforce the Code. Meaning, in some cases, labelling requirements are voluntary. The Standards provides information to consumers so they can make an informed choice and protect the public’s health. FSANZ regularly conducts independent reviews into the Standards. The most recent review was in 2011, and they released the report Labelling Logic: Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy. The reviews ensure the requirements continue to protect consumers and fair marketing. Labelling Requirements  Currently, food labels on the back packaging must contain: An ingredients list in descending order of weight Food additives included A nutritional information panel (NIP) containing the percentage of nutrients – energy, protein, total and saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar, dietary fibre, and sodium – in each 100g or 100ml, and serving size Nutritional claims Allergens, such as gluten, dairy or nuts

Other labelling information needed:

•            'Use by' or 'best before' dates
•            Country of origin
•            An identification lot number for product recalls
•            Company name and Australian street address – also for product recalls

Possible New Nutritional Labels

In the past few years a Commonwealth government-led initiative has been working on several new nutritional labelling systems. The aim is to make choosing healthy food easier.

The Traffic Light System was first explored in 2011. It trialled a green, yellow and red ‘traffic light’ shaped label to indicate whether there are high, medium or low levels of fat, sugar, salt and overall energy in a food item.

Currently, several state governments are investigating if a Health Star Rating Scheme would be more beneficial. The more stars a food item receives, the healthier it will be rated.

The Federal government is working on the details of the Star Rating scheme before implementing any changes.

For more detailed information on food labelling, consult the FSANZ website.

Works Cited:

AMA. Traffic Light Labelling: Making Healthy Food Choices Easier for Australians. Web. 7           May. 2014

Australian Government. Australian and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. Response to the Recommendations of Labelling Logic: Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy (2011). 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.

Chapman, Kathy. "Out with Traffic Lights, In with Stars." Cancer Council . Web. 7 May 2014.

"Food Labels." Better Health: Victoria Health Department. N.p., Dec. 2013. Web. 7 May 2014

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. N.p., 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.       

<http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx>.

"Front-of-pack labelling updates." Department of Health. N.p., 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 May 2014