Food label make-over

THE labels on our food packaging are set to change as the government works towards making sure we are all better informed about what we eat and drink.

Ministers responsible for the regulation of food and beverages from both the Australian and New Zealand governments met in Melbourne last month to consider their responses to the recommendations in the food labelling review report, Labelling Logic.

In considering the 61 recommendations of the review to formulate an agreed, all-of-government response, forum members acknowledged the challenge faced by the review panel as it considered issues which generated considerable debate during the review.

The meeting was the first of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation, formerly the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council.

“Many of the issues have been the subject of deliberation by governments in Australia and New Zealand and internationally for some time now and it is acknowledged that some issues will continue to be a focus in the future as we strive to improve public health and maintain our food safety, security and sustainability,” chair of the meeting and Commonwealth Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King said.

“In considering its response to the recommendations, the forum proposed actions and implementation over the next five years that endeavour to balance improving the information on food labelling to meet consumers’ needs, against maintaining marketing flexibility and minimising the regulatory burden on industry and barriers to trade.”

The full response will be available on the food regulation website.

A key initiative agreed by the forum included a national nutrition policy, for which ministers agreed to the development of a comprehensive policy, with guidelines to outline the expectations of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) in relation to the role of food standards in supporting public health objectives.

In addition, ministers agreed to a framework to guide decision-making on food labelling matters using a three-tiered hierarchy consisting of food safety, preventative health and consumer values issues. It was agreed any new technology would be considered on a case-by-case basis against the hierarchy.

Ministers also agreed there was a need for an easy-to-understand, interpretive front-of-pack labelling (FoPL) system for packaged foods. The forum would lead a collaborative process with key industry, public health and consumer stakeholders to develop an agreed system within a year.

Ministers attending the meeting asked for a substantial report on the development of a FoPL scheme within six months to be considered in June, with a view to having a system by the end of this year. The aim is to avoid the proliferation of different FoPL systems and the potential for consumer confusion from conflicting or inconsistent nutrition messages.

Another initiative was for warning labels on alcohol – it was agreed warnings about the risks of consuming alcohol while pregnant should be highlighted on alcoholic beverage packaging.

The liquor industry will be given the opportunity to introduce the labelling on products on a voluntary basis for two years before the change is officially introduced.

Ministers also considered a presentation by FSANZ on its work to develop a new standard for nutrition, health and related claims to help inform the decision on the labelling review recommendation.

FSANZ have been asked to undertake broad consultation on the draft standard before a final standard is presented to ministers.

The ministers reviewed the 2003 Ministerial Policy Guideline on Food Safety Management in Australia – Food Safety Programs and agreed to put in place a new food safety management policy guideline for the retail/food service sectors.

The new guideline will provide a framework for development of effective, efficient and nationally consistent food safety management arrangements for these sectors.

Ministers noted mandatory fortification in Australia had been successfully implemented by industry. They agreed to a phased approach for the review that would assess the effectiveness of mandatory fortification.

The review will need to be supported by adequate and comprehensive data to make an informed assessment of the effectiveness of mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid and, funding permitting, the mandatory fortification of bread with iodine.

Full results from the survey are expected to be released in May next year and onwards into 2014.