Australia, March 23, 2006 -- As part of the ongoing review of Australia's food standards, the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council recently agreed to permit the addition of selected vitamins and minerals, including calcium, to cereal-based beverages.
As part of the ongoing review of Australia’s food standards, the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council recently agreed to permit the addition of selected vitamins and minerals, including calcium, to cereal-based beverages (Application A500).This change was gazetted (made law) on February 10, 2006 and has become part of Standard 1.3.2 – Vitamins and Minerals (http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodstandardscode/_FSCchapter1) of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Background
This change arises out of the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council Policy Guideline for the Fortification of Foods with Vitamins and Minerals, which was released in May 2004. Ministers agreed that vitamins and minerals may be added to food where there is, for example, demonstrated evidence of a potential health benefit, and it is clear that the fortification of a food will not result in harm. The policy covers both mandatory and voluntary fortification of foods.
Currently the Code states that a vitamin or mineral must not be added to a food unless the addition of that vitamin or mineral is specifically permitted in the Code.The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Fortification Implementation Framework provides guidance on how FSANZ is going about implementing regulatory decision-making in relation to the fortification of food with vitamins and minerals.Fortification may be mandatory (i.e. required by regulation), or voluntary (i.e. permitted by regulation but applied at the discretion of industry).
This particular amendment arose after FSANZ received an application from industry to permit the addition of calcium to cereal-based beverages (e.g. rice and oat beverages) in May 2003.
Amendments
The following amendments to the Food Standards Code have been made:
-Standard 1.3.2 has been amended to permit cereal-based beverages containing no less than 0.3% protein derived from cereals to be fortified with selected vitamins and minerals, being the same range and equal levels as those permitted for beverages derived from legumes.
-Standard 1.2.3 has been amended to require cereal-based beverages containing no more than 2.5% fat and less than 3% protein, or less than 3% protein only to carry a mandatory advisory statement to the effect that the product is not suitable as a complete milk replacement for children under the age of five years.
-The existing advisory labeling requirement for low fat milks and beverages (no more than 2.5% fat), as per Standard 1.2.3, has been extended to apply to all cereal-based beverages, including oat beverages, rather than rice beverages alone.