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Food Regulations & Food Labelling HOW DO CONSUMER PROTECTION PRACTICES HELP TO PREVENT UNSAFE FOOD SUPPLY? 1.6 WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO LABEL PACKAGED FOOD? Who are FSANZ? Independent authority who develops food standards for composition, labelling and contaminants that apply to all foods produced or imported for sale in Australia and New Zealand. ‘Regulates the use of ingredients, processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals. The code also covers the composition of some foods e.g. dairy, meat and beverages as well as standards developed by new technologies such as genetically modified foods. We are also responsible for labelling or both packaged and unpackaged food including specific mandatory warnings or advisory labels.’ (FSANZ 2012) Who are FSANZ? FSANZ responsibilities include: Developing standards for food manufacturing, labelling, processing, hygiene and primary production Providing information to consumers Coordinating national food surveillance, enforcement and food recall Conducting consumer and industry research Undertaking dietary exposure modelling and scientific risk assessment Providing risk assessment advice on imported food ‘FSANZ’s ultimate goal is to ensure Australia and New Zealand have a safe food supply and well informed consumers.’ (FSANZ 2012) Food Standards Code The Australia New Zealand Food Standards code is divided in to 4 chapters: General food standards such as labelling requirements, use-by dates and nutritional information Food production standards affecting specific classes of food such as cereals, meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables. Food safety standards Primary production standards including individual standards for seafood, poultry, meat and dairy. The code protects consumers by ensuring food sold for human consumption: Is free from harmful levels of additives and contaminants Meets consumer expectations in terms of composition and quality Is labelled so that the majority of consumers are able to understand the labelling What is HACCP? Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is an internationally recognised food safety system. ‘Our purpose is to identify and manage hazards, reducing the risks of food contamination events through the development, implementation and ongoing operation of comprehensive, HACCP based Food Safety Programmes.’ (HACCP 2012) Food sale premises are required to provide documentation to show the steps taken to prevent customer illness, complaint or contamination of food. Food sellers must be registered with the local council. Council checks on training qualifications of staff and holds inspections of the outlet to check cleanliness, contamination and OHS hazards. HACCP Process Hazard Analysis Identification of critical control points Establishing critical limits for CCP Monitoring CCP requirements Corrective action Record keeping Verification Food Labelling Food must be labelled in accordance with the requirements of the Food Standards Code. The purpose of food labelling is to help consumers make informed choices about the food they eat. All foods for retail sale must be labelled; however, there are some exemptions including: Unpackaged foods Food in an inner package not designed for individual sale Food made and packaged on the premises from where it is sold Food packaged in the presence of the purchaser e.g. sandwich Food delivered at the customers request e.g. pizza Packages smaller than 100sq cm, nor foods with minimal nutrition like herbs, spices, tea and coffee. Food Labelling All information must be in the English language, set out legibly and prominently and contrast distinctly with the background. Information in other languages is permitted provided it doesn’t contradict the required information. Must not be misleading. Must include the food listed Food Labelling Requirements The name or description of the food The name must not be misleading Food recall information The contact details of the manufacturer, packer, vendor or importer, and the lot identification must be included Cannot be a PO box Warnings and advisory statements Contain information about foods that may: Cause severe allergic reactions (peanuts, seafood, fish, milk, gluten, eggs) Not be suitable for some people (soy milk with less than 2.5% of fat is an unsuitable complete food for infants. Cause a possible health risk (caffeine in cola, guarana) Food Labelling Requirements Ingredient Listing All ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight, including added water. The ingredient listed first is present in the largest amount. The ingredient listed last is present in the least amount. Declare food additives The number code for the specific additive must be listed Declare vitamins and minerals added to the food The percentage of the key ingredients Food Labelling Requirements Nutrition Information Panel Number of serves in the package Average quantity per serve For each serving of food and for 100g the average: Energy (kj), Protein (g), Total fat (g), Saturated fat (g), Carbohydrate (g), Sugar (g) and Sodium (mg). If a nutrient claim is made the panel must declare the relevant nutrient. For example, cholesterol, fibre or fat. ‘Percentage daily intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8,700kj. Your daily intake may be higher or lower depending upon your energy needs.’ Added nutrients must be declared Food Labelling Requirements Directions for use and storage Specific conditions required for health and safety Date Marking Foods with a shelf life of less than two years must have a ‘best before’ or ‘use-by’ date. The ‘best before’ date refers to the quality of the food - Can be consumed after the ‘best before’ date, but the food may have lost quality and some nutritional value. A ‘Use Buy’ date shows the date food should not be consumed after for health and safety reasons. Bread is an exception – can be labelled with a ‘baked on’ or ‘baked for’ date Food Labelling Requirements Percentage Labelling The percentage of key ingredients in the food product must be listed. For example, the amount of meat in a meat pie. Country of Origin ‘Product of Australia’ means each significant ingredient of the food must be Australian and all processing occurs in Australia. ‘Made in Australia’ means the food is made in Australia, but may have some significant imported ingredients. Country of Origin –Media Focus `SPC is proud to source all of its navy beans for SPC baked beans from Australia, from great places like the Queensland town of Kingaroy.’ `If you're not eating SPC Baked Beans, you're eating beans sourced from overseas. And that means you're not supporting Australian farmers.’ Country of Origin –Media Focus Example – Food Label Example – Food Label Nutrition Claims ‘A nutrition claim on a food label means the words, pictures or symbol indicate a food has a nutritional property.’ (HEIA 2008) Positive: ‘sweetened’, ‘salted’, ‘high fibre’ and ‘calcium enriched.’ Negative: ‘Unsalted’, ‘No added sugar’, ‘low in fat’. When a nutrition claim is made, more information is required on the nutrition information panel. Symbols on Food Labels Specific Claims The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code states several conditions for specific claims: Low Joule Gluten Free Contain no detectable gluten and no oats or malt Low Gluten Energy value must be less than 80kj per 100ml or 170kj per 100g Contain no more than 0.02% gluten Low Sodium Contain no more than 120mg sodium per 100g of food Specific Claims The Code of Practice on nutrient claims in food labels and in advertisements states several other requirement, which are no included in the code: Low Fat Reduced Fat Must not contain more than 0.15g of fat per 100g serve Diet Must contain at least 3g of fibre per serve Fat Free No more than 75% total fat of the food High Fibre No more than 3g fat per 100g serve Must have an energy content of no more than 80kj per 100ml or 170kj per 100g Light or lite The characteristic that makes it ‘light’ must be stated Health Claims ‘…Statements that links food to health and prevention of disease’ (HEIA 2008) These claims are prohibited by FSANZ unless they relate to folate and the reduced risk of neural tube defects in unborn babies. ‘Calcium is good for your bones’ ‘Calcium may help prevent osteoporosis’ Genetically Modified (GM) Foods A gene from a plant or animal is sliced into the chromosomes of another species to improve its characteristics. Foods with a discernible genetically modified component have to be labelled. Typical genetically modified foods include those with cotton oil, soybeans, corn, potatoes and sugar beet Irradiated foods must be labelled. In Australia, only herbs, spices and few imported fruits are allowed to be irradiated. Fortification of food with vitamins and minerals Vitamins and minerals may be added to food where there is demonstrated evidence of a potential health benefit, and it is clear there is no harm. Mandatory fortification is where food manufacturers are required to add certain vitamins and minerals to food due to a significant public health need. Voluntary fortification allows manufacturers to choose what vitamins and minerals they want to add to food, providing they are permitted in the Food Standards Code. Standard 2.1.1 2.4.2 2.6.2 2.6.4 Thiamin to flour for bread making Vitamin D to margarines and oil spreads Fluoride added to bottle water Vitamins to formulated caffeinated beverages Mandatory Mandatory Voluntary Voluntary Source: Magee 2010 p140) Revision – Exam Question 2011 1. Identify what piece of information is missing from the food label above?. i. Explain why this piece of information is required. 2. State one nutritional claim made by the company about this product. Revision Guide Question 1. List three legal requirements for labelling that appear on Label A or Label B. I. Explain how each of these requirements benefit the consumer. 2. What information is missed from label B? I. Why does this only apply to label B? 3. Why does Label A not meet the legal requirements for labelling? Revision Guide Question 1. Marketing is an important tool used by manufacturers: Outline two methods by manufactures to promote the nutritional benefits of food products to a consumer. Identify four methods used by the food industry to communicate information about its products to consumers. Outline three strategies used by the food industry and government in response to environmental concerns about food packaging materials.
