Q.01

Where can I find Australia's food additives list?

Australia's food additives list is part of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) maintains. The legally binding versions are published on the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislation.

Approach: The datasets I can search don't hold the Food Standards Code's additive standard or schedules. They only have a small FSANZ table comparing additive permissions in the US and Europe. So this answer comes from FSANZ's own website.

Official sources, all on the Federal Register of Legislation

  • Standard 1.3.1, Food additives: legislation.gov.au/F2015L00396. FSANZ's additives page says: "For the complete current list, including permissions, refer to the Standards 1.3.1 Food Additives on the Federal Legislation website" (FSANZ, Additives).
  • Schedule 15, Substances that may be used as food additives: legislation.gov.au/F2015L00439. This sets out which additives are permitted in which foods.
  • Schedule 8, Food additive names and code numbers (for statement of ingredients): legislation.gov.au/F2015L00478. This gives the names and code numbers used on ingredient lists.

FSANZ says that "the authoritative versions of these standards are located on an external website, the Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation" (FSANZ, Food Standards Code legislation).

FSANZ quick-reference lists (May 2019)

FSANZ warns that these lists "may not be the most recent version." For current permissions and limits, go to Standard 1.3.1 and Schedule 15.

The same Food Standards Code applies in New Zealand.

Q.02

How do I read additive numbers on food labels?

In Australia and New Zealand, additives in the ingredient list appear as a class name followed by the additive's name or its code number. The class name tells you what the additive does in the food, and the number identifies the exact substance. For example, "Colour (150a)" is the same as "Colour (Caramel I)" (FSANZ, Food additive labelling).

Approach: The datasets I can search don't include FSANZ's labelling guidance or the Food Standards Code ingredient-labelling provisions, so this answer comes from FSANZ's own web pages and its numerical additive list.

How to read an entry

  • Class name first. The word before the brackets is the function, such as Colour, Preservative or Flavour enhancer. FSANZ says the class name "indicates the additive's purpose in food" (FSANZ).
  • Number or name in brackets. FSANZ says the numbers come from an "internationally-accepted numbering system" and are used instead of long chemical names to make labels less confusing (FSANZ).
  • Look the number up. FSANZ's numerical list (May 2019) matches numbers to substances. Some entries (FSANZ numerical list, pp. 1-2):
    • 100: curcumin or turmeric
    • 102: tartrazine
    • 150a to 150d: Caramel I to IV
    • 160b: annatto extracts
    • 202: potassium sorbate
    • 211: sodium benzoate
    • 220 to 228: sulphur dioxide and sulphites
    • 250: sodium nitrite
    • 300: ascorbic acid
  • Letter suffixes mean different substances. In the list, 150a, 150b, 150c and 150d are four separate caramels, so read the whole code including the letter.
  • Some numbers cover more than one substance. 101 covers both riboflavin and riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium, and 262 covers both sodium acetate and sodium diacetate.
  • Some additives have no number. The list includes monk fruit extract, potassium polyaspartate and sodium hydrosulphite with a dash instead of a code, so they appear by name.
  • MSG. Manufacturers must declare added MSG either by name or by code 621 on the labels of most packaged foods (FSANZ search result for its MSG page).

Exceptions

  • Enzymes and most flavourings "do not need to be named or identified by a food additive number and can be labelled by their class name only." You may just see "flavouring", "flavour" or "enzyme" (FSANZ; FSANZ, Additives).
  • Foods with no ingredient list: unpackaged food and small packages (surface area under 100 cm²) don't need one (FSANZ).
  • Small compound ingredients: additives in a compound ingredient that makes up less than 5% of the food don't need to be declared, unless they do something in the finished food (FSANZ).
  • Allergens: certain food allergens "must be declared at all times when present in food as an ingredient, including food additives" (FSANZ).

FSANZ's alphabetical and numerical lists date from May 2019 and may not be fully current. The legally binding names and code numbers for ingredient lists are in Schedule 8 of the Food Standards Code on the Federal Register of Legislation.

Q.03