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Nutrition Information Requirements

The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires nutrition information on most food labels. This information is to enable consumers to have an informed choice about the nutritional content of the food they eat. Information on the level of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar and sodium must be displayed in the form of a nutrition information panel.

How this information is of value to you

The kilojoules or energy content of food is very important because of its relationship to obesity. Obesity increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and gallstones. Fat, protein and carbohydrates, are all major sources of energy intake and fat, in particular, is important in terms of its role in chronic disease. For children, fat and protein have important physiological roles in optimal growth and development. Saturated fats are included in the mandatory labelling requirements due to the relationship established between the intake of most saturated fats and cardiovascular diseases.
Salt (sodium) intake influences the development of hypertension, which affects a significant proportion of the population. Because a high proportion of salt intake comes from processed food, it is important that information on sodium levels is given on labels.
Nutrition information may be presented as a percentage of recommended daily intakes, in addition to the current forms of ' per serving' and ' per 100g or 100ml' . For example, it may be indicated in the nutrition information panel that ' one serve of product X contributes 10% of the recommended percentage daily fat intake, and 5% of the recommended percentage daily fibre intake' . These changes will make it easier for people to choose an appropriate and healthy selection of food.

Text reproduced with permission from Food Standards Australia & New Zealand