Food labelling- where to start to develop your own labels?
Some advice and resources to assist in the preparing and calculations required for your product labels
This is NOT an a exhaustive list of labelling requirements- rather a list of resources to get you started, so you can develop a draft label for your product:
Once you have completed a draft label Correct Food Systems can review your draft label and information using our detailed and comprehensive labelling requirement checklist, giving you the confidence that your labels are complete, legally compliant for Australia.
Contact us to organise a comprehensive label review for your product. Correct Food Systems will charge the standard hourly rate for a label review. The more complex your product claims and product ingredients, the longer the label review will take our experienced consultants. You will then be able to go to market, confident your label is compliant with all the requirements.
This is NOT an a exhaustive list of labelling requirements- rather a list of resources to get you started, so you can develop a draft label for your product:
- All food products sold in Australia must meet the requirements listed in the The Australian Food Standards
PART 1.2 Labelling and other information requirement
Guidance material is available at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/Pages/default.aspx - The product description and labelling artwork, including pictures, serves and claims should provide an accurate expectation of the product and not be misleading.
- Review the information required for your product- Different types of products require different information. Food sold in a retail shop requires different information to food sold loose, unpackaged, prepared on site, prepared for catering purposes or ordered at the request of a customer.
- Determine what elements and information is required for a label for your product (see above) NSW Food Authority Labelling hub provides information on labelling requirements.FSANZ website provides information required for food products in Australia.
- FSANZ has a useful summary sheet "food labels what do they mean?"
- All information must be in english and be legible.
- Ensure the name and Australian business street address is listed- Not a post box or postal address.
- Review your claims you have made about your product. All wording, artwork and depictions on all marketing material must be accurate.
- Claims relating to Health and Nutrition benefits needs to meet the criteria in the Food Standards Code 1.2.7
An online calculator is available to help food businesses determine a food’s nutrient profile score for Nutrition claims, relating to a certian nutrient and health effect.
FSANZ has a useful guideline on Getting your Claims Right - Check the nutrition panel is in the correct Australian format.
Use your recipe and the free Nutrition Panel Calculator to calculate the correct information for your Nutrition Information Panel.
FSANZ Nutrition Panel Calculator
The Australian format for the nutrition panel must be used.
Include: Number of serves, Serving size (in grams), Average quantity per serving and Average quantity per 100 grams for:
energy, in kJ ( not calories)
protein, (g)
total fat , (g)
saturated fat, (g)
carbohydrate, (g)
sugars, (g)
sodium. (mg)
+ any other nutrient or biologically active substance that needs to be declared, especially if you make a health or nutrition claim. - Ingredient labelling.
List all ingredients from most to least by ‘weight at the time they are added’, including colouring and preservatives. Example: Name of product: Banana cake. Ingredients: rice flour, banana (20%), sugar. - Percentage Labelling- Most packaged foods have to carry labels which show the percentage of the key or characterising ingredients or components in the food. If your product name refers to a certain ingredient, must say the % of that ingredient (based on weight). Example: Date cake. Ingredients: flour, dates (15%), sugar, eggs, milk
- Date marking, shelf life and storage conditions.
It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to determine shelf life. Reliable Use-by or Best-before dates are required.
NSW Food Authority has a useful guide on how to determine shelf life. See our blog entry dated 1/3/2017.
The Australian Food & Grocery Council also has a useful best practice guide to datemarking.
See AFGC-Best-Practice-Guide-Date-Marking-July-2016.pdf
Storage in conditions other than those stated by the manufacturer will invalidate the manufacturers date mark.
The length of the use by time for foods can be determined by using storage trials to estimate the physical, chemical and microbiological stability of the food.This is best done by sending sample of food to a food testing laboratory. Correct Food Systems can assist you in sampling and interpreting microbiological test results. - Review your allergen warning statements and declarations. The 9 most common food allergens and sulphite preservatives must be listed in the ingredients list, or in a separate statement on or near the food. Warning statements such as 'contains XXXX' or 'may contain traces of XXXX" must be clearly visible. Incorrect allergen information accounts for 32% of all food product recalls in Australia.
Allergen labelling is required on all foods subject to the general labelling requirements of the Code under Chapter 1 of the Food Standards Code, but does not specify the format of the allergen warning.Where the food is for retail or catering purposes and is exempt from labelling, the required allergen information must either be displayed on, or in connection with the display of the food, or provided to the purchaser upon request.
All allergen information should be grouped together to be easily identified and not hidden amongst other labelling information.
Allergens must be declared using plain English terms consistent with the Code legibility requirements are specified in Standard 1.2.9 of the Code. The print size should be large enough, clear and easily read.
The recommended format of allergen labelling is:
-the ingredient list declaring in allergens in bold
-an allergen summary statement listing all allergenic ingredients
-a precautionary warning statement identifying any allergens that may be present in the product.
The Australian Food & Grocery Council also has a useful best practice guide to allergen management and labelling.(2007) - Review the directions for use. Directions for use are included on a food label when consumers need specific instructions on how to use or prepare the food safely.
- Country of Origin information to show where the food is grown made or packaged. Australia is transitioning to a new Country of Origin Requirements. Use the Information Standard to determine the correct label for each food product then using your recipe of ingredients determine the country of origin of all ingredients. Use this information to calculate the percentage of Australian Ingredients ( if applicable). Use the online CoOL tool to produce the correct standard mark to place on your product.
- Use a label checklist to check the label for your product is correct and complete.
Once you have completed a draft label Correct Food Systems can review your draft label and information using our detailed and comprehensive labelling requirement checklist, giving you the confidence that your labels are complete, legally compliant for Australia.
Contact us to organise a comprehensive label review for your product. Correct Food Systems will charge the standard hourly rate for a label review. The more complex your product claims and product ingredients, the longer the label review will take our experienced consultants. You will then be able to go to market, confident your label is compliant with all the requirements.