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Codex Alimentarius Commission

Codex Alimentarius Commission The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) is the international food standards setting body established by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex develops international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice for an international food code that contributes to the safety, quality and fairness of food trade. Codex, coordinates input from 188 member countries and the European Union, and has a mandate to:

• protect the health of consumers;
• ensure fair international food trade; and
• develop standards based on sound scientific principles.

Published 30 September 2025

Social science

Social science Food is more than the sum of its parts. It involves values, beliefs, identities, cultures and risk and benefit perceptions that drive both consumer and producer behaviour. Understanding the way people think and behave, and why, is critical to developing high quality food standards that meet their intended objectives. FSANZ’s social science capability ensures that our regulatory decisions are informed by the best available consumer evidence. Our research and reviews Social scientists at FSANZ undertake original research and literature reviews to provide evidence to inform applications and proposals to change the Food Standards Code, or to better understand consumer awareness, attitudes and behaviours in relation to food labelling and consumption. Read our research reports and reviews below…

Published 20 January 2023

Analytical data commissioned by us

Analytical data commissioned by us 2022–23 key foods program Includes nutrient data for 12 foods including a selection of bread products, chocolate-based confectionery, fast food and takeaway products, Milo powder, dairy-free cheese, sheep yoghurt and beef patties/rissoles. Read the report 2021–22 key foods program Includes nutrient data for 14 foods including a selection of frozen foods, beverages, dairy products, fruit, ANZAC biscuits and corn tortillas. …

Published 10 November 2022

2019-20 Key Foods analytical program

2019-20 Key Foods analytical program In 2019-20 FSANZ undertook an analytical program to update and expand our food composition data holdings. Fifteen 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 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 foods were sampled across five states and territories (Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia) to provide a range of production locations. For some samples,…

Published 1 March 2022

2012 Cake and slice analytical program

2012 Cake and slice analytical program Background The majority of nutrient profiles for cakes and slices consumed during the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) component of the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey (AHS) were developed using a recipe approach that took account of the typical ingredients and their relative proportions to calculate nutrient values in a food. In June 2012, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) undertook a small analytical program for a selection of cakes and slices to obtain data on the moisture, protein, total fat, starch, sugars, ash and sodium contents to verify that the recipe approach used by FSANZ produced nutrient values close to the analysed values. Sampling FSANZ selected six types of commercial cakes…

Published 9 May 2014

2013 Potato analytical program

2013 Potato analytical program Background Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has a collection of analytical data from the 1980s to the present that was used to develop nutrient profiles for potatoes consumed during the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) component of the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey (AHS). In previous national nutrition surveys surveys, potatoes have been reported as a major contributor to vitamin C intakes. However, recent analytical data commissioned by FSANZ in 2008 indicated that levels of vitamin C in cooked potatoes were actually quite low. In June 2013, FSANZ undertook a small analytical program to collect nutrient data on a range of raw and boiled, peeled and unpeeled potatoes, to check estimates of the…

Published 9 May 2014

2013 Unfortified breakfast cereal analytical program

2013 Unfortified breakfast cereal analytical program Background Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has analytical data for a limited range of breakfast cereals. The majority of the data FSANZ has is based on a small number of popular products fortified with a range of vitamins and minerals. Because of this, nutrient profiles for other fortified breakfast cereals consumed during the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) component of the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey (AHS) were developed based on specific fortified lines that required calculations with adjustments to account for brand-specific levels of fortification. For unfortified breakfast cereals, analytical data for unprocessed cereal grains such as rice,…

Published 9 May 2014