by Andrew Thomson on June 28, 2018
The Victorian Government has introduced a kilojoule labelling scheme that will apply to large chain food businesses and supermarkets.
From 1 May 2018, the Victorian kilojoule labelling scheme requires chain food businesses and supermarkets to display:
- the average kilojoule content of standardised, ready-to-eat food and non-alcoholic drinks on menus, menu boards, food labels and price tags
- the statement ‘The average adult daily energy intake is 8,700 kJ’ on menus, menu boards and on each display cabinet, stand or area.
Currently, Australian law requires that packaging on manufactured, pre-packaged foods (such as frozen pizzas or muesli bars) includes nutrition information, including kilojoule (energy) content. However, unpackaged food that is ready for immediate consumption, such as pizzas, hot chips and muffins are not required to display kilojoule information when sold in Victoria.
Kilojoule labelling will provide Victorians with information about the energy content of the food they buy and help them take steps to reduce their kilojoule intake – improving their health and wellbeing.