Food additives list Australia and how to read additive codes
Australia's food additives list is Schedule 8 of the Food Standards Code. Use it to decode label numbers, then check Schedule 15 for permission.
Australia's official food additives list for label names and numbers is Schedule 8 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Permission to use an additive in a particular food depends on Standard 1.3.1 and Schedule 15.
Where the food additives list is published
Go to the Federal Register of Legislation for the operative text. FSANZ says its own compilation of the Code is for reference only and points to the Register as the authoritative version (FSANZ).
FSANZ also links alphabetical and numerical lists from its additives overview page. They're handy for a quick lookup. But FSANZ warns they are updated periodically and may not be the latest version, so don't sign off a label from them.
Selected food additive codes
The table below is a small selection from Schedule 8, not the complete list. Several codes cover more than one substance, so a number alone doesn't always name one substance.
| Code | Schedule 8 name(s) |
|---|---|
| 260 | Acetic acid, glacial |
| 330 | Citric acid |
| 331 | Sodium citrate; Sodium dihydrogen citrate |
| 338 | Phosphoric acid |
| 450 | Potassium pyrophosphate; Sodium acid pyrophosphate; Sodium pyrophosphate |
| 451 | Potassium tripolyphosphate; Sodium tripolyphosphate |
| 471 | Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids |
| 500 | Sodium bicarbonate; Sodium carbonate |
| 509 | Calcium chloride |
In a declaration such as "firming agent (509)", the number means calcium chloride. In "raising agent (450)", the code alone does not distinguish between the three listed pyrophosphates. The class word in front describes what the additive does in that food, and that can differ from one product to another.
How additives appear on Australian labels
Section 1.2.4-7 of Standard 1.2.4 sets the format. If an additive fits a class listed in Schedule 7, the label gives the class name followed by the Schedule 8 name or code number in brackets. Where more than one class fits, you use the most appropriate one. A label might read "emulsifier (471)" if emulsifier is the best description of what the mono- and di-glycerides do in that product.
Schedule 7 class names include acid, acidity regulator, firming agent, raising agent, emulsifier, stabiliser and humectant. Two points trip people up:
- The Schedule 7 class is "acid", not "food acid".
- "Mineral salt" is an official optional class in Schedule 7, not a prescribed one. If the additive fits a listed class, prescribed or optional, the label still uses that class name plus the Schedule 8 name or number.
If no Schedule 7 class fits, the additive is declared by its Schedule 8 name. There are exceptions too: enzymes may be listed as "enzyme", flavourings have their own rules and caffeine must be named as caffeine (Standard 1.2.4). Even when a compound ingredient is under 5% of the food, additives that still do a technological job in the finished product must be declared.
Checking permission is a separate step
Standard 1.3.1-3 requires permission for that food under Schedule 15, and compliance with the conditions (Standard 1.3.1). Where the limit is good manufacturing practice, you can't use more than GMP requires.
Schedule 15 works by food category. A permission at a higher category heading carries down to its subcategories unless an entry overrides it, and maximum levels are generally in mg/kg unless stated otherwise. An entry for one category is not a blanket approval.
A practical order for label review:
- Identify the substance in Schedule 8.
- Check the food category and any limits in Schedule 15 and Standard 1.3.1.
- Choose the declaration under Standard 1.2.4 and Schedule 7.
Australian numbers and E numbers
Australian Schedule 8 codes are bare numbers, with no E prefix (Schedule 8). Don't read an EU E-number approval as proof that the additive is permitted in an Australian food. Australian permission comes from Schedule 15, so check there, food by food.
We asked RegAffairs AI where to find Australia's food additives list and how to read the numbers; its answer page is here.