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Warning and advisory statements

(December 2015)

Advisory statements

Advisory statements must be provided for certain foods or ingredients which may cause health risks for some consumers.
 
Foods or ingredients that fall into this category include:
  • aspartame – labels on food containing the intense sweetener aspartame must indicate the food contains phenylalanine (which can affect people with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria)
  • guarana or guarana extracts – labels on food containing guarana or extracts of guarana (which is a natural source of caffeine) must indicate that the food contains caffeine
  • plant sterols – labels on foods containing added plant sterols (which may reduce cholesterol absorption) must include statements indicating that:

- when consuming the product, it should be consumed as part of a healthy diet

- the product may not be suitable for children under the age of five years and pregnant or lactating women, and

- plant sterols do not provide additional benefits when consumed in excess of three grams per day

  • caffeine – labels on kola beverages containing added caffeine must indicate that they contain caffeine

Warning statements

A food must have a warning statement when people may be unaware of a severe health risk posed by a food or an ingredient. For example, food containing the bee product royal jelly is required to have a warning statement, which states that: This product contains royal jelly which has been reported to cause severe allergic reactions and, in rare cases, fatalities, especially in asthma and allergy sufferers.

Full list of advisory statements

The Food Standards Code requires advisory statements on certain products. The advisory statements required by the Code are listed below. 
 

Food

Advisory statement

Bee pollen presented as a food, or a food containing bee pollen as an ingredient as defined in Standard 1.2.4
Statement to the effect that the product contains bee pollen which can cause severe allergic reactions
Cereal-based beverages, where these foods contain no more than 2.5% m/m fat and less than 3% m/m protein, or less than 3% m/m protein only.
Statement to the effect that the product is not suitable as a complete milk replacement for children under the age of five years.
Evaporated and dried products made from cereals, where these foods contain no more than 2.5% m/m fat and less than 3% m/m protein, or less than 3% m/m protein only, as reconstituted according to directions for direct consumption.
Statement to the effect that the product is not suitable as a complete milk replacement for children under the age of five years.
Evaporated milks, dried milks and equivalent products made from soy or cereals, where these foods contain no more than 2.5% m/m fat as reconstituted according to directions for direct consumption.
Statement to the effect that the product is not suitable as a complete milk food for children under the age of two years.
Food containing aspartame or aspartame-acesulphame salt
Statement to the effect that the product contains phenylalanine
Food containing quinine
Statement to the effect that the product contains quinine
Food containing guarana or extracts of guarana
Statement to the effect that the product contains caffeine
Foods containing added phytosterols, phytostanols or their esters
 
Statements to the effect that –
1.    when consuming this product, it should be consumed as part of a healthy diet;
2.    this product may not be suitable for children under the age of five years and pregnant or lactating women; and
3.    plant sterols do not provide additional benefits when consumed in excess of three grams per day.
​Foods containing polyols and poly dextrose
Statement that excess consumption of the food may have a laxative effect
 
​Formulated caffeinated beverages
​Statements to the effect that: 
1.    the food contains caffeine; and
2.    the food is not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women and individuals sensitive to caffeine.
Statement on consumption level - consume no more than [amount of one-day quantity (as cans, bottles or mL)] per day
Kola beverages containing added caffeine, or food containing a kola beverage containing added caffeine as an ingredient as defined in Standard 1.2.4.
Statement to the effect that the product contains caffeine
Milk, and beverages made from soy or cereals, where these foods contain no more than 2.5% m/m fat.
Statement to the effect that the product is not suitable as a complete milk food for children under the age of two years.
Propolis presented as a food, or food containing propolis as an ingredient as defined in Standard 1.2.4.
Statement to the effect that the product contains propolis which can cause severe allergic reactions
Unpasteurised egg products
Statement to the effect that the product is unpasteurised
Unpasteurised milk and unpasteurised liquid milk products
Statement to the effect that the product has not been pasteurised

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