Hon Damien O’Connor

Minister for Food Safety

19 July 2018 MEDIA STATEMENT

Sugar labelling consultation open

A trans-Tasman consultation on sugar labelling has begun following the latest Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation.

“People want to know how much sugar is in our food and how we can consume less, so we want to hear what they think would improve sugar labels on packaged food and drinks,” Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor says.

“This is significant progress in an area that matters to New Zealanders.

“We want food labels to provide clear, contextual information about sugars to allow consumers to make informed choices in support of the dietary guidelines.

“The consultation canvasses options for improved sugar labelling including education on how to read and interpret labels, pictures such as teaspoons to convey the amount of sugar and advisory labels for foods high in added sugars.

“Effective labelling contributes to the Government’s objective to improve the health and well-being of New Zealanders through healthy eating.

“New Zealand benefits from the joint food regulatory system with Australia. We export around $3.6 billion of food to Australia and import around $1.8 billion. It makes sense to have the same rules for food labelling across both countries,” Damien O’Connor said.

The consultation runs until 19 September 2018 and a preferred option will be provided to the next Forum later this year. Find out more.

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