Search

2018 Food composition analytical program

2018 Food composition analytical program Background In 2018 FSANZ undertook an analytical program to update and expand our food composition data holdings. Thirty-six foods were selected for nutrient analysis for which we hold no data, or the data we do hold is out-dated and may no longer reflect the products available for consumption. The complete list of foods selected for analysis is available below. The nutrients selected to be analysed differed for each food depending on what data was available, the quality of the data, and whether the nutrient was likely to be present in the food. Sampling Eight samples were purchased for each food. The sample locations varied according to the food type. Fruit and vegetables were sampled across five states and territories (…

Published 22 June 2020

Dietary exposure and intake assessments

Dietary exposure and intake assessments Dietary exposure assessments and intake assessments are an important part of many Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) risk assessments. A dietary exposure assessment is the process of estimating how much of a food chemical a population, or population sub group, consumes. FSANZ uses internationally accepted 'dietary modelling' techniques to conduct dietary exposure assessments. These assessments consider the potential exposure of the Australian and New Zealand populations to chemicals like food additives, pesticide residues, chemical contaminants, nutrients, food ingredients and other substances that have a nutrition or health purpose. Dietary exposure to (or intake of) food chemicals is estimated by combining food consumption data with food chemical concentration…

Published 16 January 2023

Allergen labelling for food businesses

Allergen labelling for food businesses A food allergy occurs when a person's immune system reacts to certain food and ingredients and can cause allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Other immune reactions can also occur in response to food, such as in Coeliac disease. Substances such as sulphites can also cause adverse health reactions for some people with asthma. This is why the Food Standards Code requires certain food and substances to be declared when they are present in a food as ingredients including food additives or processing aids.  Download our allergen labelling poster…

Published 22 July 2022

Nanoparticles and infant formula

Nanoparticles and infant formula Nanoscale materials are not new. Food is naturally composed of nanoscale sugars, amino acids, peptides and proteins, many of which form organised, functional nanostructures. For example, proteins are in the nanoscale size range and milk contains an emulsion of nanoscale fat droplets. Humans, including infants, have consumed these particles in foods throughout history without evidence of adverse health effects related to the materials nanoscale size. On this page

• January 2018
• July 2017

Published 3 August 2018

Antimicrobial resistance and food safety

Antimicrobial resistance and food safety Practising good food safety can reduce the risk of foodborne illness and help limit the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Microorganisms, including bacteria, are everywhere. They can spread through the interactions and movement of people, animals, food and the environment. Some bacteria are good, some are harmful, and some are resistant to antibiotics (which are antimicrobials). Everyone can play a role in slowing the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  The Australian food supply is one of the safest in the world, but people can still get sick from eating contaminated foods. Foodborne illness can be caused by bacteria and in some cases these bacteria can also be antimicrobial resistant. This means the steps we…

Published 8 July 2025

Board Meeting Outcomes

Board Meeting Outcomes 2025 FSANZ Board meeting outcomes Extraordinary Meeting: 26 June 2025

• FSANZ Board Communique: 26 June Extraordinary Meeting

• FSANZ Board Communique: 4 June 2025

Published 3 July 2025

Food consumption data used in dietary exposure assessments

Food consumption data used in dietary exposure assessments National nutrition surveys (NNSs) provide detailed, national data on consumption of foods, beverages and, in some cases, dietary supplements. This quantitative data on consumption is essential to the type of dietary exposure assessments we generally do at FSANZ. The following national nutrition surveys from Australia and New Zealand are used by FSANZ to estimate food consumption: 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey

• 13,858 respondents
• 2 years and above
• 24-hour recall - one recall per respondent [1]
• 2nd 24-…

  Published 4 July 2014

Frequently asked questions (AUSNUT)

Frequently asked questions (AUSNUT)

• General questions
• Food nutrient database
• Food recipe database
• Dietary supplement nutrient database
• Food measures database
• Food classification system

Published 23 September 2014

Australian Food Composition Database downloadable files

Australian Food Composition Database downloadable files The database files are provided in Excel format, and are developed for people wanting to load the information into their own software and manipulate it for different purposes. The Excel database comprises five core files:

• Food file
• Nutrient file
• Recipe file
• Retention factor file
• Measures file

Published 17 November 2023

2011 Sausage analytical program

2011 Sausage analytical program Background There is growing interest in sodium intakes of Australians due to a range of health related issues associated with high intakes. Sodium occurs naturally in almost all foods, but most of the sodium in our diet comes from sodium chloride (table salt), which is added to foods for flavour and as a preservative. Sodium is also found in many processed foods due to its presence in food additives such as sodium bicarbonate (bi-carb soda), which is often used as a raising agent in cakes and biscuits, or sodium metabisulphite, a preservative that prevents microbiological spoilage in foods such as sausages. In April 2011, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) analysed a range of plain and flavoured sausages made using different…

Published 9 May 2014