Before you start making labels, check if your food needs a label. The following foods do not require labels when sold for retail or catering purposes:
Note: Even if exempt from labelling requirements, certain information (e.g. allergens, ingredients, storage conditions) about the food must be available to the consumer upon request, either verbally or in writing, at the point of sale.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.1 – clause 6 When the food for sale must bear a label and the interactive Food Authority Food Labelling Assistant for further guidance.
Food labels must clearly show the name of the food.
The name and description should accurately represent the food’s true nature. For instance, “chocolate milk” must contain actual chocolate. If it only contains chocolate flavouring, it should be labelled as “chocolate-flavoured milk.”
A descriptive label must be included if the food’s name does not fully describe its true nature. For example, “Mark’s Hot Sauce” should also have a description like jalapeno chilli sauce.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.2 Information requirements – food identification.
To assist customers in identifying the origin of food or during a food recall, food labels must include the following business details:
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.2 Information requirements – food identification.
Food products with a shelf life of two years or less must have a date mark.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.5 Information requirements – date marking of food for sale.
Lot identification refers to a number or other information that shows when and where the food was produced, including the specific batch it belongs to.
If the food can be identified through a date mark, along with the business name and address, then lot identification may not be required.
However, if date marking is not needed (e.g. the shelf life is more than 2 years), lot identification must be included to ensure the food can still be properly identified.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.2 Information requirements – food identification.
Include the recommended storage conditions to maintain food quality and safety until the "best before" or "use-by" date. This might include information like ‘store under 5oC’, ‘keep frozen’, or ‘store in a cool, dry place’.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.6 Information requirements – directions for use and storage.
Provide clear instructions on how to prepare or consume the food if required for health or safety reasons. This could include cooking methods, reheating methods, or ‘refrigerate after opening’.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.6 Information requirements – directions for use and storage.
Unless specifically exempt, food package labels must list all ingredients and compound ingredients in descending order based on their weight when added to the food. There are limited exceptions to this rule.
Ingredient names should be detailed enough to accurately describe the ingredient, and they must not be false, misleading, or deceptive.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.4 Information requirements – statement of ingredients.
The percentages of "characterising" ingredients in a food must be shown if they are mentioned in the food description. For instance, the characterising ingredients in "Chocolate milk" are chocolate and milk. The percentage of both chocolate and milk in the food must be shown in brackets after each of the ingredients in the ingredient list.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.10 Information requirements – characterising ingredients and components of food.
Advisory statements and warnings are required for certain foods or ingredients that may pose health risks to specific consumers.
Examples of foods or ingredients requiring advisory statements include:
Allergens must be declared in bold font and in both the statement of ingredients, and in a distinctly separate summary statement next to the statement of ingredients.
Allergens that must me declared include:
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.3 Information requirements – warning statements, advisory statements and declarations and Schedule 9 Mandatory advisory statements and declarations.
'May contain' or 'may be present' statements are voluntary statements and not regulated under the Food Standards Code. They are also known as precautionary allergen labelling.
The nutrition information panel details the amount of nutrients in the food, including:
Information must be presented in a standard format which shows the average amount per serve and per 100 g (or 100 mL if liquid) of the food.
For more information, see FSANZ 'How to' videos for the Nutrition Panel Calculator (NPC), Food Standard 1.2.8 Nutrition information requirements and Schedule 12 Nutrition information panels.
Health claims like “high in calcium reducing risk of osteoporosis” can only be made based on food-health relationships that have been substantiated according to Standard 1.2.7. Whether these claims are pre-approved or self-substantiated by food businesses, they must be supported by scientific evidence.
Nutrition content claims are about specific nutrients or substances in a food, such as "low in fat" or "good source of calcium." These claims must meet specific criteria. For example, a food labelled as a "good source of calcium" must contain at least the minimum amount of calcium specified by the Standard.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.7 Nutrition, health and related claims and Schedule 4 Nutrition, health and related claims.
If there is incorrect information, for example new ingredients are added to the product or an undeclared allergen, you may apply to amend the label by contacting SA Health at healthfood@sa.gov.au to apply for an overstick. The approved overstick label must not be easily removed or cover any other information.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.1—22 Prohibition on altering labels.
Most packaged food offered for retail sale must specify the country where the food was made, grown or produced, or specify whether the product is made from local or imported ingredients. This requirement is regulated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and more information can be found on the ACCC country of origin page.
The Food Standards Code requires that labels be legible and prominent, distinct from the background, and in English. If products are imported with non-English labelling, they must have English label stickers applied before retail sale. Warning statements must have a font size of at least 3 mm high, except on small packages where the type size must be at least 1.5 mm high.
For more information, see Food Standard 1.2.1 – clause 6 When the food for sale must bear a label.
Fair trading and food laws in Australia and New Zealand require that labels must not mislead consumers through false, deceptive, or misleading representations. In Australia, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) enforces the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
It is also a requirement of the Food Act 2001 that food is not falsely described if that false description is likely to cause physical harm to the consumer and to undertake misleading conduct in relation to the advertising, packaging or labelling of food.
Accurate weight and measurement information must be provided on food product labels, indicating the quantity of food in the package. In Australia, these requirements are regulated by the Australian National Measurement Institute.
