Announcement date
25 November 2022
Link to announcement
Policy Guideline on menu labelling
Problem being addressed
Overweight and obesity is a significant public health issue in both Australia and New Zealand, as it affects most of the population, is a leading risk factor for chronic diseases and has an economic cost for government and society. Menu labelling, which refers to the provision of nutritional information about food and drinks on menus to inform purchasing and consumption decisions, may be a cost-effective mechanism which can support people to make more informed choices about ready-to-eat foods. A 2017 review of menu labelling in Australia identified the following issues:
- A nationally inconsistent menu labelling legislation (for example, differences in how and when to display energy information, and differences in businesses exempt from menu labelling)
- An uneven playing field with respect to menu labelling for businesses selling standard food items due to legislated exemptions of specific business types
- Gaps in legislation from emerging trends for promoting, offering, and selling standard food items (for example, digital panel menus and self-service kiosks; third-party food delivery platforms; build your own menu items (customised) from a range of standardised ingredients; pop-up/hover advertising, digital links to off-menu information)
- The current approach to menu labelling is not achieving the greatest public health benefit
Proposal
The Decision RIS assessed options for enhancing menu labelling to facilitate informed purchase decisions by providing all Australians and New Zealanders with access to information at the point-of-sale about the energy content of ready-to-eat food and drinks.
Four options for developing a food regulatory measure in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code were considered:
- Option 1 (Status quo): Allow jurisdictions to choose how to implement menu labelling that is consistent with the 2011 Principles.
- Option 2: Encourage all jurisdictions to consistently implement menu labelling schemes in their own legislation, in accordance with amended Principles.
- Option 3: Develop a mandatory food regulatory measure for menu labelling in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Option 4: Encourage industry to voluntarily implement enhancements to menu labelling.
In addition, consumer education about kilojoules, ready-to-eat foods, making healthier food purchase choices, and using menu labelling is proposed to complement any of the options.
Option 3 was the recommended option.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Compliant