Food Regulation Standing Committee Consultation: Policy guideline on information requirements for prepackaged food sold online

The Australia New Zealand Food Ministers expect that consumers shopping for prepackaged food for retail sale online have access to necessary information to make safe and informed purchasing decisions.

• The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code outlines the labelling and information requirements for food for retail sale in Australia and New Zealand. Most prepackaged foods are required to bear a label with certain information. Certain statements, information, designs or representations are prohibited from being on the food label. This prohibition also applies to an advertisement for the food.
• Increasingly Australian and New Zealand consumers are buying food online. Unlike in physical retail environments, online consumers cannot assess the physical food product’s packaging including the mandated food information on the label. This limits the effectiveness of food regulations intended to manage safety risks and encourage healthier, more informed consumer choices.

The policy guideline applies to food for retail sale required to bear a label in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, when these foods are offered for sale online and a consumer does not have access to a physical product at point-of-sale. This includes foods, beverages, alcoholic beverages and special purpose foods.

• Consumers purchasing food in an online retail environment should have access to the necessary information at point-of-purchase to make safe and informed decisions.
• Online retail environments are inherently different to physical retail environments, and information requirements may vary between them. Generally, information standards developed to manage food safety risks and promote healthy and informed choice should apply at point-of sale, regardless of where a consumer makes their food purchase.
• Statements, information, designs or representations prohibited from being on a food label are prohibited online.

• Food offered for sale online should be accompanied on the online platform with:
  • the food safety, nutrition, and informed choice information necessary to enable an informed food purchase. This is expected to include the mandatory information required on a food label in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, except for information that can vary by individual product or batch such as lot identification and date marking information. 
  • the Health Star Rating information when present on the food label.
  • a statement that consumers should check the physical food label before consumption.
• This information accompanying a food offered for sale online should be:
  • legible and available in English.
  • displayed prominently in connection with the food for sale online so that this is easily accessible and identifiable to consumers.
  • available without charge to a consumer prior to completing their purchase.
• Foods sold online should bear a physical label with the mandatory information required in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code when delivered to the consumer.

FRSC wants to specifically seek your views on whether the guideline should encourage the display of the currently voluntary Health Star Rating information online when present on the label. The Health Star Rating is distinct to other voluntary labelling elements as this is actively encouraged to be provided by Food Ministers. However, Ministers may be considering whether to mandate the system soon if the final uptake target in November 2025 is not met.