Proposed nutrition standard will stifle food industry, claims AFGC

Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ’s) proposed Nutrition, Health & Related Claims (P293) draft standard will threaten the food industry’s future viability, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has claimed.

Under the proposed draft standard, food products such as fruit juice, canned fish and dairy products will not be able to include health claims such as “a good source of Vitamin C” or “Omega 3 for healthy heart function”, the AFGC said.

FSANZ said the proposal “will not prescribe the exact wording of claims; however, any health claims must refer to the property of the food, the health effect and the population group (if applicable), and the health effect must be considered in the context of a healthy and varied diet”. FSANZ claims the proposed standard will encourage industry to develop healthier food products while helping consumers make healthier choices.

Under the new standard, any health claims will need to be supported by sound scientific evidence. FSANZ said it has built safeguards into the standard to prevent consumers from being misled by marketing and promotional claims.

Foods that contain a significant amount of a particular nutrient that has health benefits but contain, for instance, high levels of saturated fat or sugar will have their ability to make health claims restricted. FSANZ will use a ‘nutrient profiling scoring criteria’ to measure a food’s nutritional status, and “generally, foods carrying high level health claims will also have to meet the nutrient profiling scoring criteria”, but FSANZ may grant exemptions “if there is evidence that a food provides appropriate benefit for a target population”, the proposal said. A calculator to determine the score will be available on the FSANZ website.

The AFGC has made a submission to FSANZ that claims the changes won’t provide consumers with accurate nutrition information, calling them “totally unworkable”. The AFGC recommends that P293 be “rejected in its entirety”.

Acting Chief Executive of the AFGC, Dr Geoffrey Annison, said the proposed changes will stifle innovation, threaten jobs and jeopardise the future viability of the food industry.

“Healthier food products will be seriously hampered by this restrictive regulation - any framework developed should aim to increase product innovation and reformulation, not stifle it,” said Dr Annison.

“Industry is already under intense pressure from a confluence of forces including the rising cost of labour, energy, water, transport and high global commodity prices impacting on its profitability and ability to innovate and employ.

“This unworkable situation will add another burden and significant costs to industry, which could result in job losses and a shift of manufacturing operations offshore,” said Dr Annison. “It’s a very serious issue for the 312,000 Australians employed in the food and grocery manufacturing industry.”

FSANZ is recommending a two-year phase-in period for implementation if the standard becomes law.