Labelling review recommends 'per serving' information be scrapped

FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) has released a consultation paper on a recommendation from the independent review of labelling and is seeking comments and information from stakeholders to inform its assessment.

The recommendation (Recommendation 17 from the independent review) is that the declaration in the nutrition information panel (NIP) of amounts of nutrients per serving no longer be mandatory unless a daily intake claim is made.

Currently, manufacturers are required to provide nutrient information in the NIP as both ‘per serving’ amounts and ‘per 100 grams’ or ‘per 100 mLs’. The recommendation proposes that manufacturers only be required to include the ‘per 100 grams/mLs’ amount. Manufacturers could still include the ‘per serving’ information voluntarily if they wish.

In their response to this recommendation, ministers responsible for food regulation recognised that food labels are a finite space for communicating information to consumers, and that this recommendation aims to simplify this.

Submissions on the consultation paper close Friday, 13 February 2015. The consultation paper is available here.