Healthy Eating Club Courses 
Mandatory Nutrition Information Panels (NIPs)
for packaged and un-packaged food products
Mandatory NIP regardless of whether a nutrient claim is made
In the past, only foods that made a "Nutrient claim" such as 'low fat' had to include a nutrition information panel or NIP (although many food labels did voluntarily include an NIP). The food laws were changed in 2000. http://www.anfa.gov.au
protein, total fat, carbohydrate (total) and sodium.
separately to total fat and total carbohydrate. Cholesterol content does not have to be listed. In addition, other relevant nutrients may be listed e.g fibre, potassium, calcium, iron etc. The nutrients are displayed in a standard format, providing amount per serve and per 100g (or 100ml if liquid) of the food.
nutrient intake.
Audio Transcript
Over the next 2 years (i.e by the end of 2002), you will be seeing some changes to the labels on food packaging, which should be helpful to shoppers. The new Australian and New Zealand food labelling laws (within the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code) require that almost all products carry a 'mandatory' NIP regardless of whether the label has a "nutrient claim". There is a 2 year 'phase in' period for these changes to take effect to allow manufacturers to change over to the new standards. Under the new food labelling laws, some products will have an exception from declaring the mandatory NIP if they do make any nutrition claims. These products include: foods in small packages, food sold at fund raising events, herbs, spices, salt, tea, coffee, and other single ingredient foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, water and vinegar.
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The addition of saturated fat to the NIP is a considerable improvement in helping consumers understand whether a food product may have an effect on their blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat has a more significant effect on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol; high intakes of saturated fat have also been linked with cancer. It is generally present in higher amounts in animal-based products, but it is also found in non-animal based foods such as commercial biscuits and cakes. Some vegetable oils that have been super-hydrogenated and turned into 'hard vegetable fats' such as hydrogenated cottonseed oil used in fast food outlets, are surprisingly high in saturated fat. Coconut oil, coconut cream and palm oil are also high in saturated fat, but traditional societies in Asia and the Pacific have been consuming these for centuries with little known adverse effects. Research is underway to understand if the saturated fats in these foods behave differently in the body when consumed with vegetables/fish in traditional Asian/Pacific dishes as opposed to 'Western' commercial cakes/biscuits/fast foods.
