Food Labelling in Canteens
Canteens must ensure that food labelling complies with the Australia New Zealand Food
Standards Code (the Code). Under the Code, most food sold from a canteen has to be labelled
with certain information (e.g. the name of the food, ingredients, date produced, etc). However,
labelling requirements vary depending where the food is prepared.
Labelling requirements for food made in a canteen
Under the Code, food prepared onsite and sold on the same day does not have to be labelled.
However, the canteen must be able to provide the following information about the food either
verbally, in writing upon request, or displayed in connection with the food:
• a name/description of the food
• the ingredients
• any applicable mandatory warnings/allergens (see below)
• directions for use/storage
Food that is prepared onsite and then frozen for preparation at a later date (e.g. pasta sauce,
soup, meat patties) must be labelled with the following information:
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name or description of the food
ingredients
lot identification
date produced
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warnings (see below for details)
supplier
use and storage details
The below table provides an example of the labelling requirements for a pasta sauce that is made
onsite and then frozen.
Table 1 - Pasta sauce made onsite and frozen prior to sale
Description of the food
Bolognese sauce
Ingredients
Beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil
Lot identification
Batch 1 - 8am
Date produced
24 November 2014
Warnings (mandatory
declarations, allergens)
None applicable
Supplier
Made on site
Use and storage
Keep refrigerated and dispose of within 48 hours of cooking.
Can be frozen for 1 month.
Locked Bag 5005 Weston Creek ACT 2611 | phone: 6205 1700 | www.health.act.gov.au
Labelling requirements for food made offsite
All food prepared offsite must comply with labelling requirements set out the Code. This includes food
purchased offsite or through a supplier and brought to a school to be sold at the canteen (e.g. fruit cups,
plain scones, salad sandwiches, hummus dip, etc).
Food items that do not come individually packaged but are sold individually (e.g. a bulk container of
scones) do not require individual labelling. A single label on the packaging is acceptable.
The following labelling information is required on the packaging of food made offsite:
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name or description of the food
name, address and contact number of supplier
ingredients
lot identification
date produced
warnings (see below for further information).
The table below provides an example of the labelling requirements for fruit scones purchased offsite and
provided for sale at a school.
Table 2 – Fruit scones made offsite
Description of the food
Fruit scones
Ingredients
Scone: Wheat flour (contains wheat), sugar, butter, eggs, milk,
sultanas
Lot Identification
Batch 3 – 3pm
Date Produced
24 November 2014
Warnings (mandatory
declarations, allergens)
Contains Wheat, Egg and Milk.
Supplier
Name and address of producer.
Use and Storage
Store at room temperature. Consume within 48 hours.
Ingredient packets state “May contain traces of Peanuts and Tree
nuts”.
Note: Items in bold are mandatory declarations that must be identified in the ingredients list (see below
for more information).
Mandatory, Advisory and Declarations (Allergens)
The Code lists all mandatory warning and advisory statements that must be included food labels. This
information must be included on the packaging of a food item. If the food item is unpackaged, the
information must be displayed near the food or provided to the customer on request.
The table below provides a list of products that must be declared on food labels.
Table 3 - Food that must have mandatory declarations
Added Sulphites in concentrations of 10 mg/kg or more
Cereals containing gluten and their products, namely wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt and their
hybridised strains.
Crustaceans and their products
Egg and egg products
Fish and fish products
Milk and milk products
Peanuts and peanut products
Sesame seeds and sesame seed products (e.g. tahini)
Soybeans and soybean products
Tree nuts and tree nut products other than coconut
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
It is the responsibility of all food businesses, including canteens, to ensure that their food labelling
complies with the Code. The majority of food labelling requirements are detailed in Part 1.2 - Labelling
and other Information Requirements of the Code, however other sections of the Code may also apply to
certain foods. The Code is available at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/Pages/default.aspx.
For more information or for questions about food regulation in the ACT, please contact the Health
Protection Service on 6205 1700 or email [email protected].
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© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, January 2015
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written
permission from the Territory Records Office, Community and Infrastructure Services, Territory and Municipal Services, ACT Government, GPO
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www.health.act.gov.au | www.act.gov.au | Enquiries: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132281
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