Hungry For Information?

Navigating the labelling material on food products can be challenging, so check out these guidelines.

In an ideal world, we should be able to look at a label on the food we buy and get all the information we want and need: where the food and/or ingredients come from; where and when it was made or packaged; its nutritional value; what food additives have been used, if any; how many serves the package contains; and directions for use and storage.

When it comes to meat and seafood, an increasing number of us want to investigate even further: how the animal was raised or caught; what it was fed; and how it was slaughtered.

Also, people are becoming more committed to finding out about the environmental impacts on our planet around how their food is produced, whether it’s in regard to genetic modification or the sustainable clearing and farming practices used to produce ingredients such as palm oil.

So what should we be looking for and what labels do we need to understand to get the true story?

STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) sets out food product and safety standards in its Food Standards Code, which food manufacturers are obliged to meet.