Changes to Food Standards Code

It is well known that people like to eat foods that are good for them or do something good for them. Examples are wholegrain foods or high calcium foods. We know that calcium is good for our bones and teeth, so we can feel good when we eat foods that have labels saying that there is a high amount of calcium.

Food companies know this and also recognize that by having foods that are good for us, the business also has increased sales.

All food made and sold in Australia must comply with the requirements of the Food Standards Code and that includes what claims a business can make about it’s foods.

This is called the Health Claim Standard of the Code and has been under review by Food Standards Australia New Zealand for some time. There has been much feedback from industry, the public, state and territory governments as well as consumer groups about the whole issue of what can be put onto food labels and what must be done to support those claims.

At a Ministerial Council meeting in December, the review report for the draft Standard for Nutrition, Health and Related Claims by Food Standards Australia New Zealand was considered. It was agreed that the new Standard should be enacted in early 2013.

It breaks claims down into three categories; nutrition, general health and higher level health. All three will require that the business has scientific evidence and will only be permitted on foods that meet specific eligibility criteria, including nutrition criteria. The nutrition claims will be specific like “low fat” and will include the “front of pack labelling system” that was a key part of the Food Labelling review led by Dr Neal Blewett that was done in 2011.

General Health claims like “contains calcium for healthy bones” should be supported by either pre-approved or industry self-substantiated food health relationships where possible. The higher level health claims will need to be approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand before use.

Other issues were also discussed at the Ministerial meeting, including the current review on the addition of caffeine to food. This Policy Guideline will be likely to go to public consultation in March 2013. The meeting also agreed that Country of Origin Labelling must also apply to all unpackaged meats, although a single sign for Australian product is allowed as long as all imported product is specifically labelled.

The ongoing issue of low THC Hemp as food or a food product ingredient was also discussed and as this is a complicated issue, it was agreed to seek advice from the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Services.