{"id":"F2015L00492","name":"Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Schedule 2 – Units of measurement","slug":"australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":93146,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2015L00492-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Schedule 2 – Units of measurement","content":"Schedule 2 Units of measurement\n\nNote 1 This instrument is a standard under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). The standards together make up the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. See also section 1.1.1—3.\n\nStandard 1.1.1 relates to introductory matters and standards that apply to all foods. This Standard assigns meanings to symbols of measurement for section 1.1.1—6, which are used throughout this Code.\n\nNote 2 The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014 (NZ). See also section 1.1.1—3.\n\nS2—1 Name\n\nThis Standard is Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Schedule 2 – Units of measurement.\n\nNote Commencement:  \nThis Standard commences on 1 March 2016, being the date specified as the commencement date in notices in the Gazette and the New Zealand Gazette under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). See also section 93 of that Act.\n\nS2—2 Units of measurement\n\nFor section 1.1.1—7, the units of measurement are as follows:\n\nUnits of measurement\n\n| Symbol / unit | Meaning                       |\n| ------------- | ----------------------------- |\n| %             | per cent                      |\n| Bé            | Baumé scale                   |\n| Bq            | becquerel                     |\n| C            | degrees Celsius               |\n| cfu/g         | colony forming units per gram |\n| Cal or kcal   | kilocalorie                   |\n| cm2           | square centimetre             |\n| cm            | centimetre                    |\n| dm2           | square decimetre              |\n| EU/mg         | Endotoxin units per milligram |\n| g             | gram                          |\n| gN/kg         | gram of nitrogen per kilogram |\n| Gy            | gray                          |\n| J             | joule                         |\n| kg            | kilogram                      |\n| kGy           | kilogray                      |\n| kJ            | kilojoule                     |\n| kPa           | kilopascal                    |\n| L or l        | litre                         |\n| MJ            | megajoule                     |\n| M             | molar concentration           |\n| mg            | milligram                     |\n| mg/kg         | milligram per kilogram        |\n| milliequiv    | milliequivalent               |\n| mL or ml      | millilitre                    |\n| m/m           | mass per mass                 |\n| mm            | millimetre                    |\n| mmol          | millimole                     |\n| mOsm          | milliosmoles                  |\n| MPN           | most probable number          |\n| MU            | mouse unit                    |\n| nm            | nanometre                     |\n| Osm           | osmoles                       |\n| Pa            | pascal                        |\n| ppm           | parts per million             |\n| μg or mcg     | microgram                     |\n| μg/kg         | microgram per kilogram        |\n| μL or μl      | microlitre                    |\n| μm            | Micrometre                    |\n| w/v           | weight per volume             |\n| w/w           | weight per weight             |\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_  \n\nAmendment History\n\nThe Amendment History provides information about each amendment to the Schedule. The information includes commencement or cessation information for relevant amendments.\n\nThese amendments are made under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 unless otherwise indicated. Amendments do not have a specific date for cessation unless indicated as such.\n\nAbout this compilation\n\nThis is compilation No. 6 of Schedule 2 as in force on 29 October 2024 (up to Amendment No. 233). It includes any commenced amendment affecting the compilation to that date.\n\nPrepared by Food Standards Australia New Zealand on 29 October 2024.\n\nUncommenced amendments or provisions ceasing to have effect\n\nTo assist stakeholders, the effect of any uncommenced amendments or provisions which will cease to have effect, may be reflected in the Schedule as shaded boxed text with the relevant commencement or cessation date. These amendments will be reflected in a compilation registered on the Federal Register of Legislation including or omitting those amendments and provided in the Amendment History once the date is passed.\n\nThe following abbreviations may be used in the table below:\n\nad = added or inserted am = amended\n\nexp = expired or ceased to have effect rep = repealed\n\nrs = repealed and substituted\n\nSchedule 2 was published in the Food Standards Gazette No. FSC96 on 10 April 2015 as part of Amendment 154 (F2015L00492 –- 2 April 2015) and has since been amended as follows:\n\n| Section affected | A’ment No. | FRL registrationGazette                         | Commencement(Cessation) | How affected | Description of amendment                              |\n| ---------------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |\n| table to S2—2    | 161        | F2016L0012018 Feb 2016FSC10322 Feb 2016         | 1 March 2016            | am           | Formatting of unit for megajoule.                     |\n| table to S2—2    | 167        | F2017L001007 Feb 2017FSC1099 Feb 2017           | 9 Feb 2017              | ad           | Unit of measurement for Baumé scale.                  |\n| table to S2—2    | 198        | F2021L0033225 March 2021FSC 13926 March 2021    | 26 March 2021           | ad           | Unit of measurement for Endotoxin units per milligram |\n| table to S2—2    | 198        | F2021L0032725 March 2021FSC 13926 March 2021    | 26 March 2021           | ad           | Unit of measurement for most probable number          |\n| table to S2—2    | 200        | F2021L006842 June 2021FSC1413 June 2021         | 3 June 2021             | ad           | Unit of measurement for mouse unit                    |\n| table to S2—2    | 211        | F2022L0112526 August 2022FSC1511 Sept 2022      | 1 September 2022        | ad           | Unit of measurement for weight per volume             |\n| table to S2—2    | 233        | F2024L0137728 October 2024FSC17329 October 2024 | 29 October 2024         | ad           | Insert unit of measurement weight per weight.         |","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: defining measurement symbols for use throughout the Food Standards Code. While new units have been added over time (e.g., endotoxin units, mouse units, weight per volume/weight), these additions represent natural expansion within the original purpose rather than scope creep. The schedule has not acquired unrelated policy objectives."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 2 operative sections (S2-1 Name, S2-2 Units table)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or cross-references to other substantive provisions (only references to interpretation section 1.1.1-7)","Single table format with 35 rows of straightforward symbol-to-meaning mappings","No defined terms section — meanings are explicit in the table","Amendment history is longer than the actual legislative text"],"plain_english_summary":"This document is **Schedule 2** of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. It is essentially a **conversion chart or dictionary** for measurement symbols used on food labels and in food safety rules across Australia and New Zealand.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Lists what common (and some uncommon) measurement symbols actually mean when you see them on food packaging or in food regulations.\n- For example, it confirms that \"%\" means \"per cent\", \"kJ\" means \"kilojoule\" (the energy unit on nutrition panels), \"μg\" means \"microgram\", and \"w/v\" means \"weight per volume\".\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Food manufacturers and importers** who must label products correctly.\n- **Food safety inspectors** who check compliance with the Code.\n- **Consumers** indirectly — it ensures that when you see \"mg/kg\" on a label, it consistently means \"milligrams per kilogram\" everywhere in Australia and New Zealand.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this schedule, a symbol like \"Bé\" (Baumé scale, used for measuring sugar in syrups) or \"MPN\" (most probable number, used for bacteria testing) could be ambiguous. This ensures everyone — from chemists to checkout staff — reads food measurements the same way across both countries.\n\nThe schedule has been updated several times since 2016 to add new units as needed (like \"mouse unit\" for toxin testing in 2021, and \"weight per weight\" in 2024)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Schedule's functional scope (the set of recognised measurement symbols) has been expanded and refined since initial publication by a series of amendments recorded in the Amendment History. Amendments added units such as the Baumé scale (A’ment No. 167), Endotoxin units per milligram and Most Probable Number (A’ment No. 198), Mouse Unit (A’ment No. 200), and entries for weight per volume and weight per weight (A’ment Nos. 211 and 233), and formatting changes for existing units (A’ment No. 161). These changes alter the authoritative list that users of section 1.1.1—7 must follow and require stakeholders to monitor and implement updates (S2—2; Amendment History)."},"complexity_factors":["Nature of instrument: a single, finite reference table of units (low structural complexity) (S2—2)","Cross‑references to other Code provisions (section 1.1.1—7), requiring users to consult multiple parts of the Code (moderate complexity) (S2—2)","Bilateral jurisdictional application (Australia and adopted in New Zealand) requiring coordination across legal frameworks (Note 2)","Ongoing amendments and formatting changes recorded in the Amendment History create an operational maintenance burden for stakeholders (Amendment History)","Multiple symbol variants and synonyms in the table (e.g. L or l; mL or ml; μg or mcg) require attention to presentation and labelling practice (S2—2)"],"plain_english_summary":"This Schedule establishes a single, authoritative table of measurement symbols used throughout the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, telling food businesses, labs and regulators exactly what each symbol means and which symbols to use. FSANZ amends the table, so affected parties must track updates and may incur one‑off or ongoing compliance costs. The Schedule’s purpose is to reduce ambiguity in labelling, testing and enforcement by standardising unit symbols."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement","history":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement/history","analysis":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/australia-new-zealand-food-standards-code-schedule-2-units-of-measurement/documents"}}