New Product Launch
Establishing compliant labels for new products before entering retail distribution, including ingredient lists, NIPs, allergen declarations, date marking, and country of origin.
PEAL Grace Period Ended 25 February 2026
Food Labelling
Consultancy Australia
Over one third of all food recalls coordinated by FSANZ are caused by labelling failures. Undeclared allergens, missing nutrition panels, non-compliant country of origin claims, and incorrect date marking cost Australian food businesses millions in destroyed stock, regulatory penalties, and irreparable brand damage every year. ANFSI reviews, corrects, and builds compliant food labels before your products reach the shelf.
PEAL Now Mandatory
Standards 1.2.1 to 1.2.11
Nationwide Service
Response Within 1 Business Day
The Compliance Reality
One Label Error Can Trigger a Nationwide Recall
The regulatory landscape for food labelling in Australia tightened significantly in 2026. Enforcement has never been stricter, and the consequences for non-compliance have never been more severe.
What Changed in 2026
25 Feb 2026 The PEAL transition period ended. Every food product on Australian retail shelves must now use FSANZ-prescribed "Required Names" for allergens with mandatory bold formatting under Standard 1.2.3. Products labelled with old-format allergen declarations can no longer be sold through. Non-compliant stock must be removed from shelves or face mandatory recall and regulatory action.
1 Jul 2026 Seafood origin labelling became mandatory for hospitality. Every restaurant, cafe, takeaway, food truck, and club serving seafood dishes must now display origin information using the AIM labelling system (A for Australian, I for Imported, M for Mixed origin). Venues that fail to comply face significant penalties under Australian Consumer Law.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
FSANZ recall data shows that over one third of all food recalls in Australia are caused by labelling errors, with undeclared allergens consistently the leading category. A single recall typically costs a food business between $10,000 and $500,000 in direct expenses alone, before accounting for lost distribution, destroyed stock, regulatory investigation, and permanent brand reputation damage. For smaller manufacturers, a recall can be a business-ending event.
Why Businesses Get It Wrong
The Food Standards Code contains over 80 Standards and 29 Schedules governing food composition and labelling. Requirements span eleven separate labelling Standards (1.2.1 through 1.2.11), plus the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 under Australian Consumer Law, plus state-level enforcement rules. No single person on a production floor is expected to know all of this. That is what ANFSI's labelling consultants are for.
Compliance Triggers
When Do You Need a Label Review?
Any of these scenarios should trigger a professional label compliance review before your product reaches a consumer.
Reformulation or Recipe Change
Modifying ingredients, changing suppliers, adjusting preservatives, or altering packaging that impacts allergen status, nutritional values, or shelf life claims on existing labels.
PEAL Allergen Compliance
Updating existing labels to meet mandatory Plain English Allergen Labelling requirements under Standard 1.2.3, including prescribed Required Names and bold formatting now fully enforceable since February 2026.
Importing Food into Australia
Ensuring imported food products meet all Australian labelling requirements before customs clearance, including FSANZ-compliant NIPs, metric measurements, English language requirements, and country of origin declarations.
Retailer Onboarding
Preparing for Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, or food service supplier onboarding where buyer teams require verified label compliance documentation before accepting new vendor products.
Health or Nutrition Claims
Verifying that nutrition content claims ("high in fibre", "low fat") and health claims meet the strict eligibility criteria and substantiation requirements under Standard 1.2.7 of the Food Standards Code.
Scope of Review
Every Element ANFSI Reviews on Your Label
A comprehensive label compliance review covers every mandatory element across eleven FSANZ labelling Standards and Australian Consumer Law.
Allergen Declarations (PEAL)
Verification that all allergens use FSANZ-prescribed Required Names, appear in bold in the ingredients list, and include a separate summary "Contains" statement. Covers all nine mandatory Australian allergens plus PEAL formatting rules.
Standard 1.2.3Nutrition Information Panel (NIP)
Validation that the NIP includes all seven mandatory nutrients (energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, sodium) displayed per serving and per 100g or 100mL, with correct units and formatting.
Standard 1.2.8Ingredient List and Compound Ingredients
Review of ingredient listing order (descending by weight), compound ingredient disclosure, food additive naming conventions, characterising ingredient percentage declarations, and water content rules.
Standard 1.2.4Country of Origin Labelling
Compliance with the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, including correct use of "Grown in", "Made in", "Produced in", and "Packed in" claims, kangaroo logo, bar chart, and percentage declarations.
Australian Consumer LawDate Marking and Storage Directions
Verification of correct date format, appropriate Use By versus Best Before selection based on product perishability, storage condition statements, and directions for use after opening where applicable.
Standard 1.2.5Health and Nutrition Content Claims
Assessment of whether nutrition content claims and health claims meet the eligibility criteria, qualifying thresholds, and evidence requirements specified in the Code. High-level health claims must reference FSANZ pre-approved food-health relationships.
Standard 1.2.7Food Identification and Supplier Details
Confirmation of prescribed or descriptive product name, lot identification for traceability, and supplier name and full street address. A PO Box alone is not sufficient under Australian requirements.
Standard 1.2.2Legibility and Presentation
Assessment of type size, contrast, prominence, and English language compliance. Warning statements must meet minimum type size requirements. All mandatory information must be legible, prominent, and presented with distinct contrast against the background.
Standard 1.2.9How It Works
Our Label Review Process
A structured four-stage process that identifies every compliance gap before your product reaches the shelf.
1
Label Submission
You send us your current label artwork or draft along with the full ingredient list, formulation, and target market. Digital files, photos, or PDFs are all accepted.
2
Compliance Audit
Our labelling consultants review every mandatory element against Standards 1.2.1 through 1.2.11, Australian Consumer Law, and any applicable product-specific requirements in Chapter 2 of the Code.
3
Gap Report
You receive a detailed written report identifying every non-conformance, referencing the specific Standard or legislative provision, with clear corrective instructions for your design team.
4
Final Verification
Once your design team applies the corrections, ANFSI conducts a final compliance check on the revised artwork to confirm the label is ready for print and retail distribution.
Sectors We Serve
Who Needs Food Labelling Consultancy?
ANFSI delivers food labelling compliance services to every sector of the Australian food industry.
Food Manufacturers
From startups launching their first retail product to established manufacturers reformulating existing lines. Covers packaged foods across ambient, chilled, and frozen categories.
Food Importers
Businesses importing packaged food products into Australia that must be relabelled or verified for FSANZ compliance before customs clearance and retail distribution.
Private Label and Co-Packers
Contract manufacturers and private label operators producing for multiple brands, each requiring independent label verification to protect the brand owner and the manufacturer.
Hospitality and Food Service
Restaurants, cafes, takeaways, food trucks, and caterers requiring menu allergen declaration systems and the new mandatory seafood country of origin labelling under Australian Consumer Law.
Online and Direct-to-Consumer
Cottage food producers, meal kit companies, and e-commerce food brands selling directly to consumers who are subject to the same labelling standards as retail-shelf products.
Retailers and Buyers
Supermarket quality teams and food service procurement officers requiring supplier label compliance verification as part of vendor onboarding and due diligence processes.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard single-product label review is typically completed within three to five business days from receipt of all required materials (label artwork, full ingredient list, and formulation details). Multi-product portfolio reviews are scoped and scheduled during the initial consultation. Urgent reviews can be arranged for products facing imminent regulatory deadlines or recall risk.
Costs depend on the number of products, complexity of the formulation, whether a Nutrition Information Panel needs to be calculated from scratch, and the number of review cycles required. ANFSI provides transparent, fixed-price quotes following an initial assessment of your label materials. There are no hidden fees for follow-up questions or minor clarifications during the review.
Both. ANFSI can review and correct existing label artwork, or build complete label content specifications from scratch for new products. Our output is a compliance-verified content brief (ingredient list, NIP, allergen declarations, date marking, storage directions, country of origin elements) that your graphic designer uses to produce the final printed label. We do not provide graphic design services, but we verify the final artwork before print.
If your labels were printed after 25 February 2024, they should already comply with PEAL. If they were printed before that date and use old-format allergen names (such as "cereals containing gluten" instead of the separate wheat and gluten declarations now required), those products can no longer legally be sold in Australia as of 25 February 2026. ANFSI can audit your entire product portfolio against the current PEAL requirements and provide a prioritised remediation plan for any non-compliant labels.
Yes. ANFSI consultants can calculate NIPs from your full product formulation using FSANZ-compliant databases and methodologies. Where laboratory testing is required for nutritional accuracy (particularly for products making specific nutrition content claims), we coordinate testing through our NATA-accredited laboratory partner. The NIP is provided in the exact format required by Standard 1.2.8, ready for your designer to drop into the artwork.
Yes. Imported food products are significantly overrepresented in Australian food recall statistics, largely because labels designed for other markets do not meet FSANZ requirements. ANFSI reviews import labels against all mandatory Australian standards, identifies gaps, and provides a compliance specification that your supplier or local relabelling facility uses to produce an Australian-compliant version before distribution.