FoodLegal Bulletin, November 2008

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On 24 October 2008, the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council publicly announced a comprehensive review of food labelling law and policy.

Despite the popularity of organic foods or beverages, consumers do not always get what they expect.  Many people would not expect additives such as potassium sorbate to be in the so-called “organic” juice they buy at their juice bar.  FoodLegal has reason to believe that such additives are being used in products labelled “organic” (often in bottles that make no reference to any such additive), yet the food regulatory enforcement agencies have taken no steps to remedy the situation.  This article addresses the question of chemical additives being used in “organic” foods.

It has been reported that Australian consumers are buying imported olive oil, in particular extra-virgin olive oil, believing that it is high quality when it has been revealed to be otherwise. In this article, we examine the legal position on the standards for olive oils of different grades as well as some of the laws that apply for edible oils more generally.

The Australian Food & Grocery Council (AFGC) has recommended its own alternative to the Children’s Television Standards 2008 calling the proposal "The Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative". The Initiative will attempt to limit the advertising of unhealthy food to children under the age of 12. This article explores the ramifications and the legal effect of the proposed Initiative.

Front-of-pack labelling, a new trend in food marketing, has already been adopted by some of the food picked up industry giants such as Mars and Coca-Cola. This article explains front-of-pack labelling in the context of the current food laws and regulations in Australia.