Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Schedule 2 – Units of measurement

At its core the Schedule comprises two conceptual components.

1. Authoritative symbol-meaning pairs. The Schedule is a normative list: each entry in the table is an authorised symbol and a stated meaning. Examples are straightforward physical units (kg = kilogram; kJ = kilojoule; C = degrees Celsius), microbiological and toxicological measures (cfu/g = colony forming units per gram; MPN = most probable number; EU/mg = Endotoxin units per milligram), and measurement conventions used in analytical and labelling contexts (w/v = weight per volume; w/w = weight per weight) (S2,2, table).

2. Formal placement and operation within the Code. The Schedule is a Standard under the FSANZ Act and is part of the Code. It is linked to Standard 1.1.1, which deals with introductory matters and applies to all foods; the Schedule supplies meanings for symbols used throughout the Code (Note 1). The Schedule points to its application for section 1.1.1,7 (S2,2 header), so its authorised symbols are those intended to be read into the Code wherever that section requires or refers to units.

Several implementation details are embedded within the Schedule and its notes:

• Commencement is specified: the Schedule commenced on 1 March 2016 (S2,1 Commencement note).
• Amendments are recorded, with specific entries saying when additional units or formatting changes were made (Amendment History). The table lists amendment numbers, FRL/Gazette details and commencement dates for each modification, so readers can trace when particular symbol meanings became part of the Schedule.
• The Schedule recognises alternative symbol variants for the same unit (for example “Cal or kcal” both defined as kilocalorie), and allows for typographic variants (e.g. uppercase or lowercase ‘L’ for litre).

The Schedule therefore operates as a cross-cutting, lowest-common-denominator definitional tool: it does not create measurement obligations by itself but supplies the vocabulary other parts of the Code use. That vocabulary includes clinical, laboratory and retail units commonly used in food standards, and it expressly covers both SI-derived units (J, Pa, kg) and specialised units used in food chemistry and microbiology (gN/kg, MPN, MU, EU/mg).

The Schedule is a living instrument within the Code: Amendment History shows incremental additions (Baumé scale, endotoxin units, MPN, mouse unit, w/v, w/w) and formatting changes (megajoule formatting). Amendments are made under the FSANZ Act mechanisms and commence by Gazette notice (Amendment History; S2,1).

The Schedule’s immediate audience is any actor who must prepare, inspect, interpret or enforce material that uses unit symbols as part of the Code. Concretely, that includes:

• Food businesses (manufacturers, packers, brand owners) preparing labels, specifications, or regulatory documents that must comply with the Code. Where a Code provision sets a compositional or labelling requirement using a symbol, the meaning of that symbol is the meaning in Schedule 2 (S2,2; Note 1). Businesses that prepare nutrition panels, ingredient specifications, or analytical certificates rely on the Schedule’s symbol meanings when those documents are used for regulatory compliance.

• Laboratory services and analysts. Analytical results that feed into compliance decisions (microbiological counts, chemical residues, nutrient analysis, endotoxin measurements) will use units listed in the Schedule (cfu/g, MPN, mg/kg, EU/mg). The Schedule’s definitions standardise symbol usage for certificates of analysis and compliance reporting (S2,2).

• Regulators and enforcement agencies. State and territory food regulators, and New Zealand authorities where the Code is adopted under the Food Act 2014, rely on the Schedule to interpret the unit symbols appearing in Code provisions and to check that labelling and compositional statements conform to the Code’s referenced units (Note 2; S2,2). The Schedule reduces ambiguity when enforcing numerical limits or verifying declared values.

• Packaging designers and printers. The Schedule authorises particular symbol forms (for example “L or l”, “mL or ml”), so designers must ensure chosen symbol forms are consistent with those authorised if they are used to meet Code requirements (S2,2 table).

• Standard drafters and counsel. Anyone drafting Code amendments or subordinate regulatory material will use Schedule 2 as the canonical source for unit symbols referenced in new provisions; the Amendment History records the dates and particulars of symbol additions to that canonical list (Amendment History).

• Importers/exporters and trade compliance officers. Standards often reference concentrations or limits using these units; consistent unit meaning aids cross-border compliance where goods move between Australia and New Zealand under the Code framework (Note 2).

The Schedule itself does not list obligations or identify the person responsible for compliance in each scenario. Instead, it supplies the standardised vocabulary that those actors must adopt when other provisions of the Code impose duties. The Schedule is part of the Code and therefore forms part of the regulatory framework that these actors operate under (Note 1).

The Schedule does not itself set out express duties, prohibitions or civil or criminal sanctions. Its function is definitional: to authorise and define the symbols used for units of measurement in the Code (S2,2). Accordingly, the Schedule creates obligations only indirectly, by giving meaning to symbols deployed in other Code provisions. The split is important: a duty to declare a nutrient, to keep a parameter within a limit, or to label a package arises under other specific provisions of the Code; Schedule 2 provides the symbol that will be read into those provisions.

Key legal mechanics and practical consequences for duties and rights are:

• Where a Code clause requires a measurement using a symbol listed in Schedule 2, the regulated party must use that symbol and its meaning as defined in Schedule 2 when meeting the Code clause. The Schedule supplies the meaning for that symbol; the operative duty remains in the Code clause (S2,2; Note 1).

• The Schedule authorises certain alternative symbol forms. For example, “L or l” are both accepted forms for litre; “mL or ml” for millilitre; “μg or mcg” for microgram; “Cal or kcal” for kilocalorie (S2,2 table). The authorised alternates constrain the form of compliant labelling or reporting where the Code requires the use of a symbol. A business choosing to use a symbol form not authorised by the Schedule may risk divergence from the Code’s authorised vocabulary when compliance depends on symbol interpretation.

• The Schedule enables regulators to interpret measurement symbols consistently across the Code. That consistency supports enforceable expectations: a regulator reading a numeric limit expressed with a Schedule symbol can treat the symbol as having the meaning set out in Schedule 2 and enforce compliance accordingly (S2,2; Note 1).

• Rights to use a symbol in communications are not separately granted or denied by the Schedule beyond the definition: the Schedule does not create exclusive use or proprietary rights in symbols. It simply defines meanings within the Code’s regulatory universe.

• The Schedule is tied to the Code’s territorial operation. The Schedule notes that provisions of the Code applying in New Zealand are incorporated in or adopted under the New Zealand Food Act 2014 (Note 2). That means the symbol definitions are available for interpretation in jurisdictions that have adopted the Code, subject to local adoption mechanics.

• Administrative rights and duties on commencement and amendment: amendments are made under s 92 of the FSANZ Act and commence by Gazette notice. Those processes determine when new or changed symbol definitions take legal effect (S2,1 and Amendment History).

In short, the Schedule’s primary practical duty is interpretive: it dictates how unit symbols appearing elsewhere in the Code must be read. The substantive duties and rights stemming from those readings originate in the particular Code provisions that use the symbols; Schedule 2 functions as the canonical dictionary for those symbols.

The Schedule itself contains no penalty or enforcement provisions. It is a Standard within the Food Standards Code (Note 1) and does not on its face create offences, fines or enforcement powers. Enforcement and penalties relating to labelling, compositional limits, or other obligations that reference units will come from the operative parts of the Code and the domestic implementation legislation and enforcement framework (for example, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 and state, territory and New Zealand implementation laws). The Schedule’s Amendment History and commencement notes indicate when symbols became effective, which matters to enforcement because a regulator will apply the symbol meanings in force at the relevant time (S2,1; Amendment History).

Practical enforcement implications deriving from the Schedule include:

• Reduced interpretive ambiguity. By defining symbol meanings centrally (S2,2), the Schedule reduces the risk of disputes about what a particular symbol meant in a regulatory clause. That makes enforcement decisions more straightforward where those decisions depend on interpreting unit abbreviations.

• Temporal application. The Amendment History records the date on which particular symbols were added. Enforcement of a Code clause using a symbol that was added later than the relevant compliance period would turn on the Schedule as it stood at the relevant time (Amendment History entries list commencement dates such as 1 March 2016, 9 Feb 2017, 26 March 2021, 3 June 2021, 1 September 2022, 29 October 2024). A regulator enforcing a limit must apply the symbol meanings that were in effect at the time the alleged breach occurred.

• Cross-jurisdictional application. Note 2 states the provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in or adopted under New Zealand’s Food Act 2014. Therefore enforcement in New Zealand occurs under local adoption mechanisms, but the Schedule supplies the unit meanings that will be read into the adopted Code provisions in New Zealand (Note 2).

• Practical limits on enforcement arising from format or typographical variants. Because the Schedule authorises specific symbol variants (for example both “L” and “l”), enforcement cannot reasonably be premised on rejecting an authorised variant alone. Conversely, use of a symbol variant not listed in Schedule 2 could give rise to enforcement action if that variance causes non-compliance with a Code provision that depends on a particular unit meaning (S2,2).

The Schedule does not specify which agency enforces which prohibitions or what civil or criminal penalties apply; those matters are addressed elsewhere in the legislative framework and in the enforcement policy of relevant domestic regulators. The Schedule’s role is to provide an authoritative interpretive tool that enforcement agencies will use when deciding whether a labelling, compositional or other numeric requirement has been breached.

The Schedule sits within the regulatory architecture formed by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth) and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The Schedule is explicitly a Standard under the FSANZ Act (Note 1), and the Schedule’s commencement and amendment mechanics are governed by the FSANZ Act processes: amendments are generally made under s 92 of the FSANZ Act and come into force when a notice is published in the Commonwealth Gazette and the New Zealand Gazette where applicable (S2,1; Amendment History).

Key interactions identified in the Schedule text:

• Standard 1.1.1 connection. Note 1 states Standard 1.1.1 relates to introductory matters and standards that apply to all foods and that this Standard (Schedule 2) assigns meanings to symbols of measurement for section 1.1.1,6, which are used throughout the Code. The S2,2 header, however, links the table to section 1.1.1,7. Both references indicate the Schedule is intended to be read together with the introductory provisions of the Code (Note 1; S2,2 header). Practitioners should therefore expect the Schedule to be read into any Code provision that uses measurement symbols and falls within the scope of Standard 1.1.1.

• New Zealand law. Note 2 explicitly links the Schedule and the Code to New Zealand’s Food Act 2014 by stating that the provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, that Act. This means that where New Zealand has adopted parts of the Code, the unit meanings in Schedule 2 will be the meanings read into the adopted provisions (Note 2). The interaction is therefore one of textual incorporation: Schedule 2’s definitions travel with the adopted Code provisions into New Zealand law.

• Administrative law processes under the FSANZ Act. The Amendment History states that amendments are made under s 92 of the FSANZ Act unless otherwise indicated. The Schedule’s amendment and commencement entries show the administrative law pathway for changing the authorised symbols , changes are documented with FRL registration and Gazette notices (Amendment History). That procedural embedding means that unit meanings can be changed or expanded through FSANZ amendment processes and will become enforceable when the relevant notices are published and commencement dates reached.

• Cross-references within the Code. Because many substantive Code standards (labelling, compositional criteria, permitted levels, microbiological limits etc.) use unit symbols, Schedule 2 interacts with those provisions by supplying the canonical meanings. Practical cross-references include nutritional labelling requirements, composition standards for contaminants and residues, and microbiological criteria where the units such as cfu/g or MPN are used. The Schedule itself identifies that it is used “throughout this Code” (Note 1), so its definitions operate as cross-cutting interpretive provisions.

• No express interaction with non-food statutes is contained in the Schedule text. Outside of the noted interaction with New Zealand’s Food Act 2014, the Schedule does not claim to interact with other federal, state or international instruments. Practitioners should be aware that other regulatory or commercial instruments (for example, export certificates, international trade requirements, or industry standards) may use different unit conventions; the Schedule only governs usage within the Code and in jurisdictions that have adopted the Code (Note 2).

Finally, there is an internal textual tension relevant to interaction: Note 1 says the Standard assigns meanings for section 1.1.1,6, while S2,2 is headed “For section 1.1.1,7, the units of measurement are as follows.” That inconsistency is material for drafters and interpreters working across the Code and may require reconciliation when a Code clause references either sub-section, because the Schedule is intended to be the authoritative source for symbol meanings used in the introductory provisions (Note 1; S2,2 header).

The Schedule includes a formal Amendment History that records how and when the table of units has been modified since its initial publication. The compilation text supplied is compilation No. 6 of Schedule 2 as in force on 29 October 2024 (up to Amendment No. 233) and was prepared by FSANZ on 29 October 2024 (About this compilation). The Amendment History discloses the following specific changes to the table to S2,2:

• Amendment No. 161 (FRL F2016L00120 / Gazette FSC103, February 2016) , commenced 1 March 2016: formatting of unit for megajoule was amended (table to S2,2; Amendment History). This corresponds to the initial formatting adjustment following the Schedule’s publication in April 2015 as part of Amendment 154.

• Amendment No. 167 (FRL F2017L00100 / Gazette FSC1099, February 2017) , commenced 9 February 2017: the unit of measurement for the Baumé scale was added (table to S2,2; Amendment History). The Baumé scale entry appears in the table as “Bé” with meaning “Baumé scale”.

• Amendment No. 198 (FRL F2021L00332 / Gazette FSC13926, March 2021) , commenced 26 March 2021: two additions were recorded on that date: the unit of measurement for Endotoxin units per milligram (“EU/mg”) and the unit of measurement for most probable number (“MPN”) were added to the table to S2,2 (Amendment History).

• Amendment No. 200 (FRL F2021L00684 / Gazette FSC1413, June 2021) , commenced 3 June 2021: the “mouse unit” (“MU”) was added to the table to S2,2 (Amendment History).

• Amendment No. 211 (FRL F2022L01125 / Gazette FSC1511, September 2022) , commenced 1 September 2022: the unit of measurement for weight per volume (“w/v”) was added to the table to S2,2 (Amendment History).

• Amendment No. 233 (FRL F2024L01377 / Gazette FSC17329, October 2024) , commenced 29 October 2024: the unit of measurement for weight per weight (“w/w”) was inserted into the table to S2,2 (Amendment History).

The Amendment History also notes that Schedule 2 was published in the Food Standards Gazette No. FSC96 on 10 April 2015 as part of Amendment 154 (F2015L00492 , 2 April 2015) and that subsequent amendments are recorded in the History table (Amendment History). The compilation notes that amendments are made under s 92 of the FSANZ Act unless otherwise indicated and that commenced amendments affecting the compilation up to the compilation date are included (About this compilation). It also states that uncommenced amendments or provisions ceasing to have effect may be shown in shaded boxed text in particular compilations, and that the table uses abbreviations (ad, am, exp, rep, rs) when relevant (About this compilation).

Two practical points flow from the Amendment History:

• Temporal tracing. The History provides clear commencement dates for each addition so that practitioners can determine which unit meanings were in force at any given time. This is relevant for compliance, enforcement, and retrospective analysis.

• Incremental expansion. The table of authorised units has grown to include specialised laboratory measures (EU/mg, MPN), animal bioassay units (MU), and measurement conventions (w/v, w/w) demonstrating that the Schedule is actively maintained to reflect the measurement vocabulary needed across the Code.

The Amendment History is part of the Schedule document and should be consulted alongside the table where a practitioner needs to know when a symbol entered the authorised vocabulary.

The compilation supplied contains no litigation history entries. The Schedule’s text and the Amendment History record administrative and publication details (commencement dates, amendment numbers and Gazette references) but do not record judicial consideration, cases, appeals or contested enforcement proceedings. The document prepared by FSANZ on 29 October 2024 (About this compilation) does not include references to court decisions or tribunal findings concerning the Schedule.

Practically, two observations follow for users seeking precedential guidance:

• No judicial gloss in the instrument. Because the Schedule is a definitions table and this compilation does not record litigation, there is no authoritative case law contained within the Schedule text that clarifies interpretation disputes such as conflicts over symbol variants, the meaning of ambiguous abbreviations, or the effect of the Schedule where a Code clause uses a non-Schedule symbol.

• Reliance on the Code and domestic law for disputes. Any litigation about the interpretation or enforcement of unit-related requirements would necessarily refer to the Code (and the Schedule as the definitional source) and to the domestic implementing legislation or enforcement mechanisms. To identify litigation relevant to Schedule 2, one would need to search court and tribunal records for cases referencing the relevant Code provisions, the Schedule, or disputes over unit interpretation. The Schedule itself, as compiled, contains no entries of that type.

Where practitioners face an interpretive dispute that might lead to enforcement action or litigation, the absence of litigation history in the Schedule means that arguments will turn on the text of the Code, the Schedule’s definitions, commencement dates recorded in the Amendment History, and any general principles of statutory interpretation, rather than on binding judicial interpretation reported in the Schedule document.

Working with Schedule 2 presents a number of practical pitfalls and points of attention that are grounded in the Schedule’s text and structure.

1. Cross-reference tension between section numbers. Note 1 states the Standard assigns meanings for section 1.1.1,6, while the header for S2,2 says “For section 1.1.1,7, the units of measurement are as follows.” That textual inconsistency is internal to the Schedule and may complicate advice when a practitioner is trying to identify precisely which sub‑clause of Standard 1.1.1 imports Schedule 2 definitions. Users should not assume the Schedule is bracketed to only one subsection without checking the Code text itself (Note 1; S2,2 header).

2. Multiple authorised symbol variants. The table authorises alternative forms (for example “L or l,” “mL or ml,” “μg or mcg,” “μL or μl,” “Cal or kcal”). That authorisation is helpful, but it means that minor typographic choices can matter for compliance audits. A packaging designer who chooses an acceptable variant should ensure that the variant is one listed in Schedule 2; using an unlisted variant could present a technical non-conformity even if the meaning is clear in practice (S2,2 table).

3. Micro and degree symbols, and encoding. The table includes typographic characters that may be subject to character encoding issues in artwork or electronic documents (for example “C” as degrees Celsius, and micro symbol “μ”). When converting documents between systems or preparing print artwork, symbol encoding issues can result in incorrect or unreadable characters; that could in turn affect compliance checks where the glyph on pack differs from the authorised symbol form (S2,2 table).

4. Ambiguity in common practice versus Schedule definition. The table defines “Cal or kcal” to mean kilocalorie. In some non-regulatory practice, “Cal” is used inconsistently (sometimes to mean calorie, sometimes kilocalorie). The Schedule’s definition is clear, but practitioners should watch for legacy labels or foreign artworks that use “Cal” in a non-standard way. Where a Code clause depends on kilocalorie values, relying on the Schedule definition is necessary (S2,2 table).

5. Specialised laboratory units and implied measurement methods. Some entries are specialised and imply particular analytical contexts: “MPN” (most probable number), “EU/mg” (Endotoxin units per milligram), “MU” (mouse unit) and “mOsm” / “Osm” (osmoles). These units are meaningful only in specific analytical frameworks and may require that laboratories and reporting systems have the capability and methods to express results in the authorised units. Practitioners should ensure laboratories use the same unit vocabulary as specified in Schedule 2 when preparing compliance samples and certificates of analysis (S2,2 table).

6. Distinction between w/v and w/w. The Schedule lists both “w/v” (weight per volume) and “w/w” (weight per weight) (added in Sep and Oct 2022/2024 respectively). Confusing these two conventions can lead to substantial differences in reported concentrations. Where a Code clause or specification uses one or the other, careless substitution may generate a material compliance failure (S2,2 table; Amendment History for additions).

7. Temporal scope for added units. Units were added over time (see Amendment History). A compliance requirement that references a unit that was only added to the Schedule after the compliance period will require checking the Amendment History to determine which symbol meanings were in force at the relevant time. Failure to check commencement dates could lead to misreading what was an authorised unit at the time of the activity (Amendment History, commencement dates listed).

8. No penalty or enforcement text in the Schedule. Because the Schedule itself does not contain enforcement or penalty provisions, practitioners must locate the operative obligations and sanctioning mechanisms elsewhere in the Code or in implementing legislation. Assuming the Schedule itself imposes duties or contains enforcement detail will be misleading (S2,2; Note 1).

9. Potential for cross-jurisdiction divergence in practice. Note 2 indicates New Zealand adopts the Code under its Food Act 2014. In practice, there may be local variants in how the Code is implemented or enforced in New Zealand; the Schedule text does not detail those local adoption mechanics. Users operating trans-Tasman supply chains should verify that the adopted version of the Code in New Zealand includes the Schedule entries they rely upon (Note 2).

10. Upper/lowercase and visual confusion. Some authorised symbols (for example “M” = molar concentration; “m” two different meanings in metric prefixes and metre abbreviations; “L” or “l”) require attention to case and context. Case differences can be meaningful in scientific notation; users should ensure unit usage is unambiguous in documentation and lab reports (S2,2 table).

These “gotchas” are not theoretical; they arise directly from the Schedule’s content (the table), its notes about application and commencement (S2,1 and Note 1), and the Amendment History. The practical remedy in each case is attention to the precise text of Schedule 2 and the commencement dates recorded in the Amendment History when preparing or reviewing compliant documentation, packaging, analytical reports or regulatory instruments.

The Schedule is an interpretive instrument: compliance with its content will be achieved by ensuring that any use of unit symbols in documents, labels, specifications and reports that are governed by the Code conforms to the symbols and variant forms authorised in Schedule 2. The following practical checklist is grounded in the Schedule text and its Amendment History.

1. Identify Code provisions that apply to your product or activity. Determine where the Code imposes numeric, labelling, or compositional requirements that use unit symbols. The Schedule supplies meanings for those symbols where the Code references them; confirm which Code clauses are engaged and whether they rely on symbols defined in Schedule 2 (Note 1; S2,2 header).

2. Use only authorised symbols and authorised variants. Where a Code clause requires the use of a unit symbol, adopt the exact symbol form authorised in Schedule 2. For example, Schedule 2 explicitly permits “L or l,” “mL or ml,” “μg or mcg,” and “Cal or kcal.” Select one of the authorised forms and use it consistently across labels, certificates, and specifications (S2,2 table).

3. Check for typographic and encoding fidelity. Ensure printing and electronic files preserve special characters such as the degree sign and micro symbol. Verify that artwork proofs use the correct glyphs, and that electronic transfers do not corrupt special characters. The table includes symbols that rely on specific glyphs (e.g. “C” for degrees Celsius, “μ” for micro) and poor encoding can render them incorrect (S2,2 table).

4. Align laboratory reporting practice with Schedule vocabulary. If analytical reports or certificates of analysis will be used to demonstrate Code compliance, instruct laboratories to report results using the authorised units in Schedule 2 (for example, report microbiological results as cfu/g or MPN where applicable, express nitrogen results as gN/kg if that is the required convention). Where a laboratory uses a different unit internally, require conversion to the authorised unit in the certificate that accompanies the sample (S2,2 table).

5. Validate product documentation and label artwork against the Schedule. Prior to print or lodgement with authorities, run labels and product specifications through a compliance checklist that includes verifying unit symbols against Schedule 2 and ensuring the variant chosen is one authorised in the Schedule (S2,2 table).

6. Pay attention to Amendment History and commencement dates. If you rely on a unit that was added by amendment, confirm whether that unit had commenced at the time of manufacture, labelling or reporting by consulting the Amendment History (e.g., EU/mg and MPN added 26 March 2021; MU added 3 June 2021; w/v added 1 September 2022; w/w added 29 October 2024) (Amendment History). This is particularly relevant for retrospective compliance assessments.

7. For trans-Tasman operations, confirm local adoption. Note 2 states that the Code provisions that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in or adopted under the New Zealand Food Act 2014. Verify that the particular Code provisions (including Schedule 2 entries) have been adopted in the jurisdiction(s) where you trade or place products on the market (Note 2).

8. Update systems and templates. Make a programmatic update to product databases, specification templates, certificates of analysis templates, label artwork libraries and enterprise resource planning (ERP) fields to reflect the Schedule’s authorised symbols and variants. Where you substitute a symbol (for example using “mcg” instead of “μg” in contexts where both are authorised), ensure change control documentation records the rationale tied to Schedule 2.

9. Train relevant staff. Ensure compliance, quality, regulatory, marketing and external design vendors understand which unit symbols are authorised. Particular attention should be paid to lab staff who prepare reports, designers who prepare artwork and regulatory staff who lodge notifications or applications under the Code.

10. Retain evidentiary trail. Keep dated copies of the Schedule (or a record of the relevant compilation and its date) and any Amendments used to determine which symbols were in force at the relevant time. The compilation provided here notes it was prepared on 29 October 2024 and lists Amendment No. 233; keep similar records so that future audits can show which symbol meanings were being relied upon and when (About this compilation; Amendment History).

11. Seek clarification where text is inconsistent. Given the textual tension between Note 1 (referring to section 1.1.1,6) and the S2,2 header (referring to section 1.1.1,7), consult the Code’s text or FSANZ guidance to confirm which introductory subsection imports Schedule 2 for the specific use-case, especially when preparing legal submissions or enforcement responses (Note 1; S2,2 header).

12. Consider cross-referencing to other technical documents. Where a metric or specialised unit (for example gN/kg, EU/mg, MPN) is used, you may need to reference or procure the standard operative analytical method or conversion convention used for that unit as part of quality control. The Schedule defines the symbol meaning but does not specify the analytical method; ensure laboratory SOPs use appropriate methods and report results in the Schedule’s authorised units.

Following these steps will align a business or laboratory with the Schedule’s authorised symbol vocabulary and reduce the risk of technical non‑conformity when compliance depends on unit interpretation. The Schedule’s Amendment History should be consulted whenever there is doubt about when a unit became authorised.