Food Labelling Issues: On-going Food Label Monitoring Survey in Australia and New Zealand
Report ‘Assessment of 2006 Labels for Key Mandatory Labelling Elements for Consistency against Labelling Provisions (Phase 2 Report)’
Evaluation Report Series No. 18
Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) 2006 report on labelling has now been released.
Label monitoring surveys have been commissioned by FSANZ since 2002 to assess how food manufacturers are managing key labelling requirements set out in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). Correct labelling is a key objective of the FSANZ Act 1991 to ensure consumers have adequate information to help them make informed choices.
The results of this ongoing survey will assist FSANZ in assessing the effectiveness of current labelling regulatory measures and also provide evidence to inform future decisions on labelling laws, as part of the standards development process.
This report presents the results of an assessment of food labels collected in 2006, and follows on from the report on the assessment of the 2005 label collection, published in August 2008.
This report covers a survey of 1311 food labels collected in Australia and New Zealand in 2006 to determine the degree of consistency with the labelling requirements of the Code for 12 key label elements and, where labels were inconsistent with the Code, the nature of the inconsistency with labelling provisions for those label elements assessed. The survey also enabled the gathering of data on other label information of interest.
The report presents the results from the assessment of labels collected in 2006, and also makes comparisons with data collected in 2005, thus giving a general indication of changes in the consistency of information provided on food labels since the earlier survey (published August 2008).
It should be noted ongoing label monitoring surveys are not being conducted for enforcement purposes, as this is the responsibility of the governments of Australia and New Zealand and the Australian States and Territories, and not FSANZ.
[ full version 
]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PDF
Overview of the consistency status of labels collected in 2006, by label element
Overview of the consistency status of labels collected in 2006, by food category
Overview of the comparison of label assessments on labels collected in 2005 and 2006
2. PURPOSE OF THE FSANZ FOOD LABEL MONITORING SURVEY PDF
3. METHODOLOGY PDF
3.1 Sampling
3.2 Data collection
3.3 Data security and confidentiality
3.4 Label assessments
3.5 Limitations of this survey
4. RESULTS & DISCUSSION PDF
4.1 Assessment of labels collected in 2006
4.2 Assessment of key label elements on labels collected in 2006
5. REFERENCES PDF
6. GLOSSARY OF DEFINITIONS PDF
Appendix 1. Food label collection method PDF
Appendix 2. List of product labels collected, by food category PDF
Appendix 3. Criteria for assessment of severity of NIP inconsistencies for labels collected in 2006 PDF
Appendix 4. Assessment of severity of NIP inconsistencies for labels collected in 2006 PDF
Evaluation Report Series
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/monitoringandsurveillance/monitoringandevaluat1584.cfm
Previous label monitoring reports:
Food Labelling Monitoring Survey: Phase 1 Pilot Report (Incorporating Stages 1 and 2)
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/foodlabelmonitoringsurvey10/index.cfm
Food Labelling Issues: On-going Food Label Monitoring Survey in Australia and New Zealand
Report on the re-assessment of 2003 labels for nutrition, health and related claims (Phase 2, Part C)
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/ongoingfoodlabelmonitoringsurveyno14/index.cfm
On-going Food Label Monitoring Survey in Australia and New Zealand
Report on the assessment of 2005 labels for nutrition, health and related claims
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/reportontheassessmen3514.cfm
On-going Food Label Monitoring Survey in Australia and New Zealand
Report on the Assessment of 2005 Labels for Key Mandatory Labelling Elements for Consistency against Labelling Provisions (Phase 2 Report)
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/ongoingfoodlabelmoni3963.cfm