§ 309 — Standards and labelling requirements

309.—(1) Without limiting section 307, the Agency may, with the approval of the Minister, by regulations set out standards relating to any of the following:

(a)

safety standards for food or agri‑food production inputs, including —(i)

the composition, ingredients or other characteristics of any kind of food or agri‑food production input;

(ii)

the maximum amounts of contaminants or residues that may be present in the food;

(iii)

the maximum or minimum amounts of additives that must or may be present in the food;

(iv)

the microbiological status and safety of food;

(v)

prohibitions or restrictions on the supply of particular kinds of food to individuals of less than a specified age;

(vi)

the precautions to be taken in relation to the supply of particular kinds of food (either generally or when they are supplied to particular classes of persons); and

(vii)

any other reasonable requirement that is desirable to prevent or minimise risk of injury or impairment of health;

(b)

the manufacturing or preparation of food;

(c)

the handling of food, including the method of handling;

(d)

the manufacture or production, storage, keeping or transporting of agri‑food production inputs (except any animal feed and plant pesticide);

(e)

safety standards for regulated food contact articles, including —(i)

prohibitions or restrictions on substances that may be used to manufacture a regulated food contact article; and

(ii)

prohibitions or restrictions on the use of regulated food contact articles with food;

(f)

the application of standards.

(2) Without limiting section 307, the Agency may, with the approval of the Minister, by regulations set out information standards for labels on food or agri‑food production inputs (except any animal feed and plant pesticide), including —

(a)

prohibiting or restricting the content used in labelling of the food or agri‑food production inputs for supply;

(b)

prohibiting or requiring specified content in any label relating to the food or agri‑food production inputs for supply;

(c)

prescribing the form of the content required under paragraph (b), such as its size and colour, or the size, colour and font type of the content and how it is displayed;

(d)

requiring records to be kept in relation to the labelling of food or agri‑food production inputs; and

(e)

any other reasonable requirement that is desirable to ensure that misleading information is not provided, and that adequate information is provided, in respect of the food or agri‑food production inputs.

(3) In this section, “agri‑food production input” excludes the following even if essential in undertaking any primary production activity:

(a)

any animal reproductive material from a food producing animal;

(b)

any young of a food producing animal;

(c)

any seed, spore, bulb, root, cutting or other part of a plant from which plants grow or further plants grow;

(d)

any veterinary biologics, or any vaccines, antitoxins or other preparations made from living organisms, which are suitable for use in diagnosing, treating or immunising animals.

—(1) Without limiting section 307, the Agency may, with the approval of the Minister, by regulations set out standards relating to any of the following:

(a)

safety standards for food or agri‑food production inputs, including —(i)

the composition, ingredients or other characteristics of any kind of food or agri‑food production input;

(ii)

the maximum amounts of contaminants or residues that may be present in the food;

(iii)

the maximum or minimum amounts of additives that must or may be present in the food;

(iv)

the microbiological status and safety of food;

(v)

prohibitions or restrictions on the supply of particular kinds of food to individuals of less than a specified age;

(vi)

the precautions to be taken in relation to the supply of particular kinds of food (either generally or when they are supplied to particular classes of persons); and

(vii)

any other reasonable requirement that is desirable to prevent or minimise risk of injury or impairment of health;

(b)

the manufacturing or preparation of food;

(c)

the handling of food, including the method of handling;

(d)

the manufacture or production, storage, keeping or transporting of agri‑food production inputs (except any animal feed and plant pesticide);

(e)

safety standards for regulated food contact articles, including —(i)

prohibitions or restrictions on substances that may be used to manufacture a regulated food contact article; and

(ii)

prohibitions or restrictions on the use of regulated food contact articles with food;

(f)

the application of standards.

(2) Without limiting section 307, the Agency may, with the approval of the Minister, by regulations set out information standards for labels on food or agri‑food production inputs (except any animal feed and plant pesticide), including —

(a)

prohibiting or restricting the content used in labelling of the food or agri‑food production inputs for supply;

(b)

prohibiting or requiring specified content in any label relating to the food or agri‑food production inputs for supply;

(c)

prescribing the form of the content required under paragraph (b), such as its size and colour, or the size, colour and font type of the content and how it is displayed;

(d)

requiring records to be kept in relation to the labelling of food or agri‑food production inputs; and

(e)

any other reasonable requirement that is desirable to ensure that misleading information is not provided, and that adequate information is provided, in respect of the food or agri‑food production inputs.

(3) In this section, “agri‑food production input” excludes the following even if essential in undertaking any primary production activity:

(a)

any animal reproductive material from a food producing animal;

(b)

any young of a food producing animal;

(c)

any seed, spore, bulb, root, cutting or other part of a plant from which plants grow or further plants grow;

(d)

any veterinary biologics, or any vaccines, antitoxins or other preparations made from living organisms, which are suitable for use in diagnosing, treating or immunising animals.