New food labelling regulations in force tomorrow

New food labelling regulations come into force tomorrow and Health Minister Annette King says they will be good for consumers and trans-Tasman trade.

Manufacturers have had two years to prepare for the Australia/New Zealand Food Standards Code, which will replace 20-year-old regulations.

Ms King said one of the main purposes of the code was to provide consumers with more information about what was in food and at the same time minimise regulations for manufacturers and producers.

"While the code will make trans-Tasman trade easier, the biggest beneficiaries are consumers who can now make more informed choices about the food they eat because the code requires comprehensive labelling on most foods," she said.

Under the code, manufacturers have to provide nutrition information panels on their products detailing the amount of energy (kilojoules), protein, total fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrates, sugars and sodium.

They also have to declare whether products contain items to which some people are allergic, like nuts, seafood, milk, gluten, eggs and soybeans.

New Zealand and Australia signed a food standards treaty in 1995 and officials have been working on the code since then.

Ms King said six standards within the code still had to be finalised -- infant formula products, health claims, country of origin labelling, bee pollen and royal jelly, warning statements on some milk products and special purpose foods.

Until they ready, those will be covered by transitional regulations maintaining the status quo in each country.

- NZPA