Standard 1.2.4
Labelling of Ingredients
Purpose
This Standard sets out specific requirements for the labelling and naming of ingredients and compound ingredients.
Table of Provisions
1 Interpretation
2 Requirement for statement of ingredients
3 All ingredients to be listed in a statement of ingredients
4 Ingredients to be listed by common, descriptive or generic name
5 Ingredients to be listed in descending order of ingoing weight
6 Declaration of compound ingredients
7 Declaration of alternative ingredients
8 Declaration of food additives
9 Declaration of vitamins and minerals
10 Process declaration for oil
Schedule 1 Classes of additives
Schedule 2 Food additive code numbers
Clauses
1 Interpretation
(1) In this Standard –
compound ingredient means an ingredient of a food which is itself made from two or more ingredients.
ingredient means any substance, including a food additive, used in the preparation, manufacture or handling of a food.
(2) Nothing in this Standard affects the mandatory declaration requirements in Standard 1.2.3.
2 Requirement for statement of ingredients
The label on a package of food must include a statement of ingredients unless –
(a) the food is labelled with the name of the food which would otherwise be those ingredients listed in the ingredient list; or
(b) the food is water presented in packaged form as standardised in Standard 2.6.2; or
(c) the food is an alcoholic beverage standardised in Standard 2.7.2 to Standard 2.7.5 of this Code; or
(d) the food is contained in a small package.
Editorial note:
See Standard 1.2.3 – Mandatory Warning and Advisory Statements and Declarations for the requirements to always declare the presence of certain substances.
3 All ingredients to be listed in a statement of ingredients
A statement of ingredients must list every ingredient in the food unless the ingredient is –
(a) an ingredient of a flavouring as defined in Schedule 5 of Standard 1.3.1; or
(b) a volatile ingredient which is completely removed during manufacture; or
(c) added water where –
(i) the water is added to reconstitute dehydrated or concentrated ingredients;
(ii) the water forms part of broth, brine or syrup which is declared in the ingredient list or is part of the name of the food; or
(iii) the water constitutes less than 5% of the final food; or
(d) a substance used as a processing aid in accordance with Standard 1.3.3.
4 Ingredients to be listed by common, descriptive or generic name
Ingredients must be declared in the statement of ingredients using –
(a) the common name of the ingredient; or
(b) a name that describes the true nature of the ingredient; or
(c) where applicable, a generic name set out in the Table to this clause.
Editorial note:
The term ‘common name’ does not have a technical meaning for the purposes of paragraph 4(a), and should be given its ordinary meaning.
Table to clause 4
| Generic name | Conditions for Use |
| cereals | Where the cereal is wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt or their hybridised strains then the specific name of the cereal must be declared. |
| cheese | No specific condition set |
| cocoa butter | No specific condition set |
| crystallised fruit | No specific condition set |
| fats or oils | 1. Must be qualified as to whether the source is animal or vegetable 2. Where the source of vegetable oil is peanut, soy bean or sesame the specific source name must be declared 3. In the case of dairy products, including ice cream, the source of animal fats or oils must be specifically declared 4. Must not be used for Diacylglycerol oil. |
| fish | If crustacea, the specific name of the crustacea must be declared |
| fruit | No specific condition set |
| gum base | No specific condition set |
| herbs | No specific condition set |
| meat | No specific condition set |
| milk protein | No specific condition set |
| milk solids | May be used to describe milk powder, skim milk powder, dried milk products standardised in this Code or any two or more of the following ingredients: whey, whey powder, whey proteins, lactose, caseinates, milk proteins and milk fat. |
| nuts | The specific name of the nut must be declared |
| poultry meat | No specific condition set |
| spices | No specific condition set |
| starch | Where the source of the starch is wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt, or their hybridised strains, then the specific name of the cereal must be declared. The name ‘starch’ may be used for any unmodified starch or any starch which has been modified by either physical means or enzymes |
Table to clause 4 (continued)
| Generic name | Conditions for Use |
| sugar | 1. May be used to describe; white sugar, white refined sugar, caster sugar, castor sugar, loaf sugar, or cube sugar, icing sugar, coffee sugar, coffee crystals, raw sugar 2. The word ‘sugars’ must not be used in a statement of ingredients |
| vegetables | No specific condition set |
5 Ingredients to be listed in descending order of ingoing weight
(1) Ingredients must be declared in the statement of ingredients in descending order of ingoing weight, except –
(a) where a dehydrated or concentrated ingredient is reconstituted during preparation, manufacture or handling of the food, in which case, the position of that ingredient in the statement of ingredients may be determined by the weight of the ingredient before concentration or dehydration; or
(b) where any dehydrated or concentrated food is intended to be reconstituted in accordance with directions, in which case, the ingredients may be stated in descending order of proportion by weight in the reconstituted product, provided it is clear that the ingredients are being declared in order of their weight when reconstituted; or
(c) added water and volatile ingredients, which must be declared in accordance with subclause 5(2); or
(d) compound ingredients, which must be declared in accordance with clause 6.
Editorial note:
The statement of ingredients may be headed, for example, by the words ‘ingredients when reconstituted’ to make it clear that the ingredients are being declared in order of their weight when reconstituted.
(2) Added water or a volatile ingredient must be declared in the statement of ingredients immediately following the ingredient with the closest higher ingoing weight but shall be calculated in accordance with the ingoing weight of the added water or volatile ingredient minus the amount of that ingredient that is removed and/or used for reconstitution of dehydrated or concentrated ingredients during preparation, manufacture or handling of the food.
6 Declaration of compound ingredients
(1) A compound ingredient must be declared in the statement of ingredients either –
(a) by declaring the compound ingredient by name in its appropriate place in the statement of ingredients, and listing its ingredients in brackets after the name of the compound ingredient, in descending order of ingoing weight in the compound ingredient, as specified in the Table to this clause; or
(b) by declaring all of the ingredients of the compound ingredient separately as if they were individual ingredients of the final food.
(2) However, paragraph 6(1)(a) does not apply to food standardised in Standard 2.9.2.
(3) The ingredients in an alcoholic beverage, standardised in Standards 2.7.2 to 2.7.5 of this Code, do not need to be declared in a statement of ingredients if the alcoholic beverage has been declared as an ingredient in the food.
Table to clause 6
| Amount of compound ingredient in the food | Ingredients of the compound ingredient to be included in the statement of ingredients |
| 5% or more | All ingredients |
| less than 5% | 1. If applicable, any substance listed in the Table to clause 4 of Standard 1.2.3; and 2. all food additives in the compound ingredient that perform a technological function in the final food |
Editorial note:
An example for clause 6 is the statement of ingredients for canned spaghetti, which could read –
‘tomatoes, water, spaghetti (wheat flour, egg, water), sugar, salt, flavours’
under option (a) or –
‘tomatoes, water, wheat flour, egg, sugar, salt, flavours’
under option (b).
7 Declaration of alternative ingredients
Where the composition of a food may be subject to minor variations by the substitution of an ingredient which performs a similar function, the statement of ingredients may list both ingredients in a way which makes it clear that alternative or substitute ingredients are being declared
Editorial note:
For example the statement of ingredients for a biscuit may read; wheat flour, safflower oil or sunflower oil, sugar, water.
8 Declaration of food additives
(1) Food additives must be declared in accordance with the ingredient labelling requirements of this Standard.
(2) Where an additive must be declared and can be classified in one of the classes of additives listed in Schedule 1 of this Standard the additive must be declared by the name of that class followed by the additive’s prescribed name or code number in brackets, as indicated in Schedule 2 of this Standard.
(3) Subclause (2) does not apply to the declaration of the optional class name ‘enzyme’.
(4) Where a food additive is capable of being classified in more than one class, the most appropriate class name must be used.
(5) A food additive that cannot be classified in one of the classes specified in Schedule 1 must be declared in the statement of ingredients by use of its prescribed name as indicated in Schedule 2 of this Standard.
(6) Subject to subclause (9), where a flavouring is added to or used in a food as an ingredient it must be declared in the statement of ingredients by either -
(a) the word ‘flavouring’ or ‘flavour’; or
(b) a more specific name or description of the flavouring.
(7) Where L-glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, monopotassium L-glutamate, calcium di-L-glutamate, monoammonium L-glutamate, magnesium di-L-glutamate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, and disodium 5’-ribonucleotides are added to a food as a flavouring or as an ingredient of a flavouring, their presence must be specifically declared in accordance with subclause (2).
(8) Where the composition of a food may be subject to minor variations by the substitution of an additive which performs a similar function, the statement of ingredients may list both additives in a way which makes it clear that alternative or substitute additives are being declared.
(9) Where caffeine is added to a food it must be declared in the ingredient list as caffeine.
Editorial note:
For the purposes of subclause 8(3), enzymes need only be declared by the class name ‘enzyme’ and not by specifically declaring the name of the enzyme.
An example for subclause 8(8) is where a manufacturer chooses to use preservative X for 6 months of the year and preservative Y for the rest of the year, one label may indicate that either preservative was used in the preparation, manufacture or handling of the food e.g. preservative (X or Y) where X and Y may be expressed as either the additive’s specific name or code number, if any.
9 Declaration of vitamins and minerals
Where a vitamin or mineral is added to a food, the vitamin or mineral may be declared in accordance with clause 8 of this Standard using the class name ‘vitamin’ or ‘mineral’.
10 Process declaration for oil
If a food contains oil as an ingredient, and the specific source name of the oil is used on the label of the food, the label must include the statement prescribed in clause 3 of Standard 2.4.1.
Schedule 1
Classes of additives
| Prescribed class names |
| Acid |
| Acidity Regulator |
| Alkali |
| Anticaking Agent |
| Antioxidant |
| Bulking Agent |
| Colour |
| Emulsifier |
| Firming Agent |
| Flavour Enhancer |
| Foaming Agent |
| Gelling Agent |
| Glazing Agent |
| Humectant |
| Preservative |
| Raising Agent |
| Stabiliser |
| Sweetener |
| Thickener |
| Optional class names |
| Antifoaming Agent |
| Emulsifying Salt |
| Enzyme |
| Mineral Salt |
| Modified Starch |
| Vegetable Gum |