8Declaration of food additives

8 Declaration of food additives

(1) Food additives must be declared in accordance with the ingredient labelling requirements of this Standard.

(2) Where an additive must be declared and can be classified in one of the classes of additives listed in Schedule 1 of this Standard the additive must be declared by the name of that class followed by the additive’s prescribed name or code number in brackets, as indicated in Schedule 2 of this Standard.

(3) Subclause (2) does not apply to the declaration of the optional class name ‘enzyme’.

(4) Where a food additive is capable of being classified in more than one class, the most appropriate class name must be used.

(5) A food additive that cannot be classified in one of the classes specified in Schedule 1 must be declared in the statement of ingredients by use of its prescribed name as indicated in Schedule 2 of this Standard.

(6) Subject to subclause (9), where a flavouring is added to or used in a food as an ingredient it must be declared in the statement of ingredients by either –

(a) the word ‘flavouring’ or ‘flavour’; or
(b) a more specific name or description of the flavouring.

(7) Where L-glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, monopotassium L-glutamate, calcium di-L-glutamate, monoammonium L-glutamate, magnesium di-L-glutamate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, and disodium 5’-ribonucleotides are added to a food as a flavouring or as an ingredient of a flavouring, their presence must be specifically declared in accordance with subclause (2).

(8) Where the composition of a food may be subject to minor variations by the substitution of an additive which performs a similar function, the statement of ingredients may list both additives in a way which makes it clear that alternative or substitute additives are being declared.

(9) Where caffeine is added to a food it must be declared in the ingredient list as caffeine.

Note: For the purposes of subclause 8(3), enzymes need only be declared by the class name ‘enzyme’ and not by specifically declaring the name of the enzyme.

Note: An example for subclause 8(8) is where a manufacturer chooses to use preservative X for 6 months of the year and preservative Y for the rest of the year, one label may indicate that either preservative was used in the preparation, manufacture or handling of the food e.g. preservative (X or Y) where X and Y may be expressed as either the additive’s specific name or code number, if any.