1.1.2—2 Definitions—general
Note Definitions for foods are provided in section 1.1.2—3.
(1) Subject to subsection (2), a term used in this Code that is also used in the *FSANZ Act has the same meaning as in the FSANZ Act, unless the contrary intention appears.
(2) In applying this Code under an application Act, a term used in this Code that is also used in the *application Act has the same meaning as in the application Act, unless the contrary intention appears.
Example A contrary intention is apparent in the definition of label in subsection 1.1.2—2(3).
(3) In this Code, unless the contrary intention appears, the following definitions apply:
additive permitted at GMP—see section 1.1.2—11.
agvet chemical means an agricultural chemical product or a veterinary chemical product, within the meaning of the Agvet Code.
Note The Agvet Code is the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code set out in the Schedule to the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994 (Cth). See subsection 4(1) of the FSANZ Act.
amino acid modified food—see section 2.9.6—2.
AS/NZS means a joint Australia New Zealand Standard published by Standards Australia.
application Act means an Act or Ordinance of a *jurisdiction under which the requirements of this Code are applied in the jurisdiction.
AS means an Australian Standard published by Standards Australia.
assisted service display cabinet means an enclosed or semi-enclosed display cabinet which requires a person to serve the food as requested by the purchaser.
authorised officer, in relation to a jurisdiction, means a person authorised or appointed under an application Act or other legislation of the relevant *jurisdiction for the purposes of enforcement of a provision of the relevant application Act, or for purposes that include that purpose.
available carbohydrate means available carbohydrate calculated in accordance with section S11—3.
available carbohydrate by difference means available carbohydrate by difference calculated in accordance with section S11—3.
average energy content means the average energy content calculated in accordance with section S11—2.
average quantity, of a substance in a food, means the average, for such foods from that producer or manufacturer, of:
(a) where a serving or reference amount is specified—the amount of the substance that such a serving or reference amount contains; or
(b) otherwise—the proportion of that substance in the food, expressed as a percentage.
Note See also section 1.1.1—6.
baked-for date, in relation to bread, means:
(a) if the time at which the bread was baked is before midday—the baked-on date;
(b) if the time at which the bread was baked is on or after midday—the day after the baked-on date.
baked-on date, in relation to bread, means the date on which the bread was baked.
bear a label: a food for sale is taken to bear a label of a specified kind or with specified content if either of the following is part of or attached to the packaging of the food:
(a) a label of that kind or with that content;
(b) labels that together are of that kind or have that content.
best-before date, for a food for sale, means the date up to which the food will remain fully marketable and will retain any specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made, if the food:
(a) remains in an intact package during its storage; and
(b) is stored in accordance with any storage conditions applicable under Standard 1.2.6.
biologically active substance means a substance, other than a nutrient, with which health effects are associated.
biomarker means a measurable biological parameter that is predictive of the risk of a *serious disease when present at an abnormal level in the human body.
bulk cargo container:
(a) means an article of transport equipment, being a lift van, movable tank, shipping container, aircraft cargo container or other similar structure:
(i) of a permanent character and accordingly strong enough to be suitable for repeated use; and
(ii) specifically designed to facilitate the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transport, without immediate repacking; and
(iii) fitted with devices permitting its ready handling and its transfer from one mode of transport to another; and
(iv) so designed as to be easy to fill and empty; and
(v) having an internal volume of one cubic metre or more; and
(b) includes the normal accessories and equipment of the container, when imported with the container and used exclusively with it; and
(c) does not include any vehicle, or any ordinary packing case, crate, box, or other similar article used for packing.
business address means the street address, or a description of the location, of the premises from which a business is being operated.
carbohydrate, other than in the definition of beer (section 1.1.2—3), means *available carbohydrate or *available carbohydrate by difference.
caterer means a person, establishment or institution (for example, a catering establishment, a restaurant, a canteen, a school, or a hospital) which handles or offers food for immediate consumption.
cell-cultured food means a food obtained by culturing cells isolated from any of the following sources: livestock; poultry; game; seafood (including fish); an egg or an embryo of any of the former.
characterising component—see section 1.1.2—4.
characterising ingredient—see section 1.1.2—4.
claim means an express or implied statement, representation, design or information in relation to a food or a property of food which is not mandatory in this Code.
claim requiring nutrition information:
(i) a nutrition content claim; or
(ii) a health claim; and
(i) a declaration that is required by an application Act; or
(ii) an endorsement; or
(iii) a \*prescribed beverage gluten free claim.
Code, or this Code, means the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
code number, used in relation to a substance *used as a food additive, means either:
(a) the number set out in the table to Schedule 8 in relation to that substance; or
(b) that number preceded by the letter ‘E’.
colouring permitted at GMP—see section 1.1.2—11.
colouring permitted to a maximum level—see section 1.1.2—11.
comminuted means chopped, diced or minced.
component, of a food, means a substance that is present as a constituent part of the food (as distinct from an ingredient).
Example If sodium bicarbonate is used as an ingredient to produce a food, it will be changed by the cooking into carbon dioxide and salts; the salts are identifiable as components of the food.
compound ingredient: an ingredient of a food is a compound ingredient if it is itself made from two or more ingredients.
dietary fibre means that fraction of the edible part of plants or their extracts, or synthetic analogues that:
(a) is resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine, usually with complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine; and
(b) promotes one or more of the following beneficial physiological effects:
(i) laxation;
(ii) reduction in blood cholesterol;
(iii) modulation of blood glucose;
and includes:
(c) polysaccharides or oligosaccharides that have a degree of polymerisation greater than 2; and
(d) lignins.
endorsement means a nutrition content claim or a health claim that is made with the permission of an endorsing body.
endorsing body means a not-for-profit entity that:
(a) has a nutrition- or health-related purpose or function; and
(b) permits a *supplier to make an endorsement.
ESADDI means Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake—see section 1.1.2—10.
extraneous residue limit or ERL, for an *agvet chemical in a food, means the amount identified in Schedule 21 for that agvet chemical in that food.
fat, in Standards 1.2.7 and 1.2.8 and Schedules 4 and 11, means total fat.
flavouring substance means a substance that is used as a food additive to perform the technological purpose of a flavouring in accordance with this Code.
food—see subsection (2) (the term has the same meaning as in the relevant application Act).
Note Each of the various application Acts has a definition of food. These all have a similar effect and make the concept very broad, effectively covering anything that is intended or offered for human consumption.
Food Act means the Food Act 2014 (NZ).
food additive—see used as a food additive, section 1.1.2—11.
food group means any of the following groups:
(a) bread (both leavened and unleavened), grains, rice, pasta and noodles;
(b) fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and fungi;
(c) milk, skim milk, cream, fermented milk, yoghurt, cheese, processed cheese, butter, ice cream, condensed milk, dried milk, evaporated milk, and dairy analogues derived from legumes, cereals, nuts, seeds, or a combination of these ingredients listed in section S17—4;
(d) meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and dried legumes;
(e) fats including butter, edible oils and edible oil spreads.
FSANZ means Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
FSANZ Act means the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth).
fund raising event means an event that raises funds solely for a community or charitable cause and not for personal financial gain.
galacto-oligosaccharides means a mixture of the substances produced from lactose by enzymatic action, comprised of between two and eight saccharide units, with one of these units being a terminal glucose and the remaining saccharide units being galactose, and disaccharides comprised of two units of galactose.
general level health claim means a health claim that is not a high level health claim.
general level health claims table means the table to section S4—5.
genetically modified food—see section 1.1.2—16.
geographical indication—see section 2.7.5—4.
gluten means the main protein in wheat, rye, oats, barley, triticale and spelt relevant to the medical conditions coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.
glycaemic index (GI) means a measure of the blood glucose raising ability of the digestible carbohydrates in a given food as determined by a recognised scientific method.
GMP or Good Manufacturing Practice, with respect to the addition of substances used as food additives and substances used as processing aids to food, means the practice of:
(a) limiting the amount of substance that is added to food to the lowest possible level necessary to accomplish its desired effect; and
(b) to the extent reasonably possible, reducing the amount of the substance or its derivatives that:
(i) remains as a \*component of the food as a result of its use in the manufacture, processing or packaging; and
(ii) is not intended to accomplish any physical or other technical effect in the food itself;
(c) preparing and handling the substance in the same way as a food ingredient.
hamper means a decorative basket, box or receptacle that:
(a) contains one or more separately identifiable foods; and
(b) may contain other items, such as decorative cloths, glasses and dishes.
health claim means a claim which states, suggests or implies that a food or a property of food has, or may have, a health effect.
Note See also subsection 2.10.2—8(3).
health effect means an effect on the human body, including an effect on one or more of the following:
(a) a biochemical process or outcome;
(b) a physiological process or outcome;
(c) a functional process or outcome;
(d) growth and development;
(e) physical performance;
(f) mental performance;
(g) a disease, disorder or condition.
high level health claim means a *health claim that refers to a *serious disease or a *biomarker of a serious disease.
high level health claims table means the table to section S4—4.
import includes:
(a) in Australia—import from New Zealand; and
(b) in New Zealand—import from Australia.
individual portion pack—see subsection 1.2.1—6(3).
individual unit means a container that:
- is an innermost package; and
- contains a beverage with more than 1.15% alcohol by volume.
infant means a person under the age of 12 months.
inner package, in relation to a food for special medical purposes, means an individual package of the food that:
(a) is contained and sold within another package that is labelled in accordance with section 2.9.5—9; and
(b) is not designed for individual sale, other than a sale by a *responsible institution to a patient or resident of the responsible institution.
Example An example of an inner package is an individual sachet (or sachets) of a powdered food contained within a box that is fully labelled, being a box available for retail sale.
inner package, in relation to a special medical purpose product for infants, means an individual package of the food that is:
(a) contained and sold within another package that is labelled in accordance with Division 4 of Standard 2.9.1; and
(b) not designed for individual sale, other than a sale by a *responsible institution to a patient or resident of the responsible institution.
Example An example of an inner package is an individual sachet (or sachets) of a powdered food contained within a box that is fully labelled, being a box available for retail sale.
intra-company transfer—see section 1.2.1—18.
inulin-type fructans means mixtures of saccharide chains that have β-D-(2→1) fructosyl-fructose linkages with or without a terminal α-D-(1→2) glucosyl-fructose linked glucose unit.
irradiation, in relation to food, means subjecting the food to ionising radiation, other than ionising radiation imparted to food by measuring or inspection instruments, and irradiate and irradiated have corresponding meanings.
jurisdiction means a State or Territory of Australia, the Commonwealth of Australia, or New Zealand label, in relation to a food for sale, means any tag, brand, mark or statement in writing or any representation or design or descriptive matter that:
(a) is attached to the food or is a part of or attached to its packaging; or
(b) accompanies and is provided to the purchaser with the food; or
(c) is displayed in connection with the food when it is sold.
labelling:
(a) in relation to a food for sale, labelling means all of the labels for the food together; and
(b) a requirement for the labelling of a food to include specified content is a requirement for at least one of the labels to have that content.
listericidal process means a process that reduces Listeria monocytogenes microorganisms in the food to a safe level.
lot means an amount of a food that the manufacturer or producer identifies as having been prepared, or from which foods have been packaged or otherwise separated for sale, under essentially the same conditions, for example:
(a) from a particular preparation or packing unit; and
(b) during a particular time ordinarily not exceeding 24 hours.
lot identification, for a food for sale, means a number or other information that identifies:
(a) the premises where the food was prepared or packed; and
(b) the *lot of which the food is a part.
maximum residue limit or MRL, for an *agvet chemical in a food, means the amount identified in Schedule 20 for that agvet chemical in that food.
medical institution—see section 1.1.2—7.
meet the NPSC means that the *nutrient profiling score of a food described in Column 1 of the table to section S4—6 is less than the number specified for that food in Column 2 of that table.
monounsaturated fatty acids means the total of cis-monounsaturated fatty acids.
non-traditional food—see section 1.1.2—8.
novel DNA—see section 1.1.2—17.
novel food—see section 1.1.2—8.
novel protein means a protein encoded by novel DNA.
NPSC means the nutrient profiling scoring criterion (see section S4—6).
nutrition content claim—see section 1.1.2—9.
Note See also subsection 2.10.2—8(3).
nutrition information panel means a nutrition information panel that is required to be included on a label on a package of food in accordance with Standard 1.2.8.
nutrient profiling score means the final score calculated pursuant to the method referred to in section 1.2.7—25.
nutritive substance—see used as a nutritive substance, section 1.1.2—12.
NZS means a New Zealand Standard published by Standards New Zealand.
one-day quantity, in relation to a formulated supplementary sports food, means the amount of that food which is to be consumed in one day in accordance with directions specified in the label.
Note For the meaning of one-day quantity in relation to a formulated caffeinated beverage, see subsection 2.6.4—5(5).
package:
(a) means any container or wrapper in or by which food for sale is wholly or partly encased, covered, enclosed, contained or packaged; and
(b) if food is carried or sold or intended to be carried and sold in more than one package—includes each package; and
(c) does not include:
(i) a \*bulk cargo container; or
(ii) a pallet overwrap; or
(iii) a crate and packages which do not obscure labels on the food; or
(iv) a transportation vehicle; or
(v) a vending machine; or
(vi) a hamper; or
(vii) a container or wrapper (including a covered plate, cup, tray or other food container) in which food is served in a prison, hospital or \*medical institution; or
(viii) for Standard 2.9.5—a covered plate, cup, tray or other food container in which food for special medical purposes is served by a \*responsible institution to a patient or resident.
permitted flavouring substance means any of the following:
(a) a substance that is listed in at least one of the following publications:
(i) Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) lists of flavouring substances published by the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers’ Association of the United States from 1960 to 2022 (edition 30);
(ii) Chemically-defined flavouring substances, Council of Europe, November 2000;
(iii) Annex I of Council Regulation (EU) No 872/2012 of 1 October 2012 adopting the list of flavouring substances \[2012\] OJ L267/1;
(iv) 21 CFR § 172.515;
(b) a *flavouring substance obtained by physical, microbiological, enzymatic or chemical processes from material of vegetable or animal origin either in its raw state or after processing by traditional preparation process including drying, roasting and fermentation;
(c) a flavouring substance that is obtained by synthetic means and which is identical to one of the substances described in paragraph (b).
phytosterols, phytostanols and their esters: a reference to phytosterols, phytostanols and their esters is a reference to a substance which meets a specification for phytosterols, phytostanols and their esters in section S3—24.
polyunsaturated fatty acids means the total of polyunsaturated fatty acids with cis-cis-methylene interrupted double bonds.
pregnancy warning label means either the pregnancy warning pictogram or the pregnancy warning mark.
pregnancy warning mark means the following image comprising
- the pregnancy warning pictogram,
- the signal words “Pregnancy Warning” and
- the statement “Alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby”,
all within a border.

pregnancy warning pictogram means the following pictogram with the silhouette of a pregnant woman holding a wine glass within a circle with a strikethrough:

prescribed alcoholic beverage means a beverage that
- has more than 1.15% alcohol by volume; and
- either:
(i) is for retail sale; or
(ii) is sold as suitable for retail sale without any further processing, packaging or labelling; and
(c) does not include a beverage that:
(i) is sold for retail sale; and
(ii) is packaged in the presence of the purchaser.
prescribed beverage means:
(a) a *standardised alcoholic beverage; or
(b) a beverage containing no less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.
prescribed beverage gluten free claim means a nutrition content claim in relation to the gluten content of a *prescribed beverage that uses the descriptor ‘free’ in conjunction with gluten, or a synonym of that descriptor.
prescribed name, of a particular food, means a name declared by a provision of this Code to be the prescribed name of the food.
Note Under the labelling provisions in Standard 1.2.1 and section 1.2.2—2, if a food has a prescribed name, it must be used in the labelling of the food.
processing aid—see used as a processing aid, section 1.1.2—13.
property of food means a *component, ingredient, constituent or other feature of food.
RDI means Recommended Dietary Intake—see section 1.1.2—10.
ready-to-eat food means a food that:
(a) is ordinarily consumed in the same state as that in which it is sold; and
(b) will not be subject to a *listericidal process before consumption; and
(c) is not one of the following:
(i) shelf stable foods;
(ii) whole raw fruits;
(iii) whole raw vegetables
(iv) nuts in the shell;
(v) live bivalve molluscs.
reference food, in relation to a claim, means a food that is:
(a) of the same type as the food for which the claim is made and that has not been further processed, formulated, reformulated or modified to increase or decrease the energy value or the amount of the nutrient for which the claim is made; or
(b) a dietary substitute for the food in the same *food group as the food for which the claim is made.
reference quantity means:
(a) for a food listed in the table to section S17—4, either:
(i) the amount specified in the table for that food; or
(ii) for a food that requires dilution or reconstitution according to directions—the amount of the food that, when diluted or reconstituted, produces the quantity referred to in subparagraph (i); or
(b) for all other foods:
(i) a normal serving; or
(ii) for a food that requires dilution, reconstitution, draining or preparation according to directions—the amount of the food that, when diluted, reconstituted, drained or prepared produces a normal serving.
releasable calcium, CaR, means the amount of calcium, in mg/g of chewing gum, released into the mouth during 20 minutes of chewing that is calculated using the following equation:
Formula for releasable calcium
Start formula Ca subscript R equals start fraction open bracket Ca0 times W0 close bracket minus open bracket CaC times WC close bracket over W0 end fraction, end formula
where:
CaO is the original calcium concentration in the chewing gum in mg/g of chewing gum.
WO is the weight of the original chewing gum in g.
CaC is the residual calcium in the gum after it has been chewed for 20 minutes in mg/g of chewing gum.
WC is the weight of the chewed gum in g.
relevant authority means an authority responsible for the enforcement of the relevant application Act.
required name, of a particular food, means the name declared by section 1.2.3—5 as the required name for that food for the purposes of Division 3 of Standard 1.2.3.
responsible institution means a hospital, hospice, aged care facility, disability facility, prison, boarding school or similar institution that is responsible for the welfare of its patients or residents and provides food to them.
saturated fatty acids means the total of fatty acids containing no double bonds.
sell—see subsection (2) (the term has the same meaning as in the relevant application Act).
Note Each of the various application Acts has a definition of sell. These all have a similar effect and make the concept very broad; they include offering or displaying for sale, and other contexts that go beyond the ordinary meaning of the word.
serious disease means a disease, disorder or condition which is generally diagnosed, treated or managed in consultation with or with supervision by a health care professional.
serving means an amount of the food which constitutes one normal serving when prepared according to manufacturer’s directions or when the food requires no further preparation before consumption, and in the case of a formulated meal replacement is equivalent to one meal.
size of type means the measurement from the base to the top of a letter or numeral.
small package means a package with a surface area of less than 100 cm2.
SPC means a standard plate count at 30°C with an incubation time of 72 hours.
standard drink, for a beverage containing alcohol, means the amount that contains 10 grams of ethanol when measured at 20C.
standardised alcoholic beverage means beer, brandy, cider, fruit wine, fruit wine product, liqueur, mead, perry, spirit, vegetable wine, vegetable wine product, wine or wine product.
statement of ingredients—see section 1.2.4—2.
sugars:
(a) in Standard 1.2.7, Standard 1.2.8 and Schedule 4—means monosaccharides (other than D-allulose) and disaccharides; and
(b) otherwise—means any of the following products, derived from any source:
(i) hexose monosaccharides and disaccharides, including dextrose, fructose, sucrose and lactose;
(ii) starch hydrolysate;
(iii) glucose syrups, maltodextrin and similar products;
(iv) products derived at a sugar refinery, including brown sugar and molasses;
(v) icing sugar;
(vi) invert sugar;
(vii) fruit sugar syrup;
but does not include:
(i) malt or malt extracts; or
(ii) sorbitol, mannitol, glycerol, xylitol, polydextrose, isomalt, maltitol, maltitol syrup, erythritol or lactitol.
Note Sugar is defined differently—see section 1.1.2—3.
supplier, in relation to food, includes the packer, manufacturer, vendor or importer of the food.
total plant sterol equivalents content means the total amount of:
(a) phytosterols; and
(b) phytostanols; and
(c) phytosterols and phytostanols following hydrolysis of any phytosterol esters and phytostanol esters.
trans fatty acids means the total of unsaturated fatty acids where one or more of the double bonds are in the trans configuration.
transportation outer means a container or wrapper which:
(a) encases packaged or unpackaged foods for the purpose of transportation and distribution; and
(b) is removed before the food is used or offered for retail sale or which is not taken away by a purchaser of the food.
unit quantity means:
(a) for a food that is a solid or semi-solid food—100 grams; or
(b) for a food that is a beverage or other liquid food—100 millilitres.
use-by date, for a food for sale, means the date after which it is estimated that the food should not be consumed because of health or safety reasons, if the food:
(a) remains in an intact package during its storage; and
(b) is stored in accordance with any storage conditions applicable under section Standard 1.2.6.
used as a food additive—see section 1.1.2—11.
used as a nutritive substance—see section 1.1.2—12.
used as a processing aid—see section 1.1.2—13.
warning statement, for a food for sale, means a statement about a particular aspect of the food that is required to be expressed in the words set out in the following provisions:
(a) section 1.2.3—3 (warning statement relating to royal jelly);
(b) section 2.6.3—4 (warning statement relating to kava);
(c) subsection 2.9.1—21(1) (warning statements for infant formula product);
(d) paragraph 2.9.2—7(3)(c) or 2.9.2—8(1)(b) (warning statements for food for infants);
(e) subparagraph 2.9.4—4(1)(a)(iii) or 2.9.4—4(1)(a)(iv) (warning statements for formulated supplementary sports food).