Foods - Definitions
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There are currently 44 names in this directory
Best before date
Definition: For a food for sale, means the date up to which the food will remain fully marketable and will retain any specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made, if the food: (a) remains in an intact package during its storage; and 
 (b) is stored in accordance with any storage conditions applicable under Standard 1.2.6. As per: FSANZ

Biologically active substance
Definition: Means a substance, other than a nutrient, with which health effects are associated. As per: FSANZ

Biomarker
Definition: Means a measurable biological parameter that is predictive of the risk of a *serious disease when present at an abnormal level in the human body. As per: FSANZ

Carbohydrate
Definition: Other than in the definition of beer (section 1.1.2—3), means *available carbohydrate or *available carbohydrate by difference. As per: FSANZ

Characterising component
Definition: Means a *component of the food that: (a) is mentioned in the name of the food; or 
 (b) is usually associated with the name of the food by a consumer; or 
 (c) is emphasized on the label of the food in words, pictures or graphics. As per: FSANZ

Characterising ingredient
Definition: Means an ingredient or a category of ingredients of the food that: (a) is mentioned in the name of the food; or 
 (b) is usually associated with the name of the food by a consumer; or 
 (c) is emphasised on the label of the food in words, pictures or graphics. 
 Despite subsection (1), any of the following is not a characterising ingredient: (a) an ingredient or category of ingredients that is used in small amounts to 
flavour the food; 
 (b) an ingredient or category of ingredients that comprises the whole of the food; 
 (c) an ingredient or category of ingredients that is mentioned in the name of the food but which is not such as to govern the choice of the consumer, because the variation in the amount is not essential to characterise the food, or does not distinguish the food from similar foods. 
 Compliance with labelling requirements elsewhere in this Code does not of itself constitute emphasis for the purposes of this section. As per: FSANZ

Claim
Definition: Means an express or implied statement, representation, design or information in relation to a food or a property of food which is not mandatory in this Code. As per: FSANZ

Component
Definition: Of a food, means a substance that is present as a constituent part of the food (as distinct from an ingredient). As per: FSANZ

Compound ingredient
Definition: An ingredient of a food is a compound ingredient if it is itself made from two or more ingredients. As per: FSANZ

Dietary fibre
Definition: Means that fraction of the edible part of plants or their extracts, or synthetic analogues that: (a) is resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine, usually with complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine; and 
 (b) promotes one or more of the following beneficial physiological effects: (i) laxation; 
 (ii) reduction in blood cholesterol; 
 (iii) modulation of blood glucose; 
 And includes: (c) Polysaccharides or oligosaccharides that have a degree of polymerisation greater than 2; and (d) lignins. As per: FSANZ

Endorsement
Definition: Means a nutrition content claim or a health claim that is made with the permission of an endorsing body. As per: FSANZ

Endorsing body
Definition: Means a not-for-profit entity that: (a) Has a nutrition - or health - related purpose or function; and (b) Permits a *supplier to make an endorsement. 
 As per: FSANZ

ESADDI
ESADDI

Flavouring substances
Definition: Means a substance that is used as a food additive to perform the technological purpose of a flavouring in accordance with this Code. As per: FSANZ

Food group
Definition: Means any of the following groups: (a) bread (both leavened and unleavened), grains, rice, pasta and noodles; 
 (b) fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and fungi; 
 (c) milk, skim milk, cream, fermented milk, yoghurt, cheese, processed cheese, butter, ice cream, condensed milk, dried milk, evaporated milk, and dairy analogues derived from legumes and cereals listed in section S17—4; 
 (d) meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and dried legumes; 
 (e) fats including butter, edible oils and edible oil spreads. 
 As per: FSANZ

Formulated beverage
Definition: Means a non-carbonated, ready-to-drink, flavoured beverage that: (a) is water-based; and 
 (b) contains added vitamins or minerals or both vitamins and minerals; and 
 (c) contains no more than 240 mL/L of fruit from one or more of the following sources: (i) fruit juice; 
 (ii) fruit purée; 
 (iii) concentrated fruit juice; 
 (iv) concentrated fruit purée; 
 (v) comminuted fruit; 
 (vi) orange peel extract; and 
 (d) contains no more than 75 g/L of sugars; and 
 (e) does not contain: (i) carbon dioxide; or 
 (ii) caffeine; and 
 (f) is not mixed with any other beverage. 
 As per: FSANZ

Formulated caffeinated beverage
Definition: Means a flavoured, non-alcoholic beverage, or a flavoured, non-alcoholic beverage to which other substances (for example, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins) have been added, that: (a) contains caffeine; and 
 (b) has the purpose of enhancing mental performance. 
 To avoid doubt, a formulated caffeinated beverage is water based flavoured drink for the purposes of item 14.1.3 of section S15—5 and of section S18—10. As per: FSANZ

Formulated meal replacement
Definition: Means a food, or a prepackaged selection of foods, that: (a) has been specifically formulated as a replacement for one or more meals of the day, but not as a total diet replacement; and (b) is represented as a formulated meal replacement. 
 As per: FSANZ

Formulated supplementary food
Definition: Means a food specifically formulated as, and sold on the basis that it is, a supplement to a normal diet to address situations where intakes of energy and nutrients may not be adequate to meet an individual’s requirements. As per: FSANZ

Formulated supplementary food for Young Children
Definition: For young children means a formulated supplementary food for children aged 1 to 3 years. As per: FSANZ

Formulated supplementary sports food
Definition: Means a product that is specifically formulated to assist sports people in achieving specific nutritional or performance goals. As per: FSANZ

FSANZ
Definition: Food Standards Australia New Zealand As per: FSANZ

Gene technology
Definition: Means recombinant DNA techniques that alter the heritable genetic material of living cells or organisms. As per: FSANZ

Gluten
Definition: Means the main protein in wheat, rye, oats, barley, triticale and spelt relevant to the medical conditions coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. As per: FSANZ

Glycemic index (GI)
Definition: Means a measure of the blood glucose raising ability of the digestible carbohydrates in a given food as determined by a recognised scientific method. As per: FSANZ

Good manufacturing practice (GMP
Definition: With respect to the addition of substances used as food additives and substances used as processing aids to food, means the practice of: (a) limiting the amount of substance that is added to food to the lowest possible level necessary to accomplish its desired effect; and (b) To the extent reasonably possible, reducing the amount of the substance or its derivatives that: 
(i) remains as a *component of the food as a result of its use in the manufacture, processing or packaging; and 
 (ii) Is not intended to accomplish any physical or other technical effect in the food itself; (c) Preparing and handling the substance in the same way as a food ingredient. As per: FSANZ

Health Claim
Definition: Means a claim which states, suggests or implies that a food or a property of food has, or may have, a health effect. As per: FSANZ

Health effect
Definition: Means an effect on the human body, including an effect on one or more of the following: (a) a biochemical process or outcome; 
 (b) a physiological process or outcome; 
 (c) a functional process or outcome; 
 (d) growth and development; 
 (e) physical performance; 
 (f) mental performance; 
 (g) a disease, disorder or condition. 
 As per: FSANZ

Infant
Definition: Means a person under the age of 12 months. As per: FSANZ

Label
Definition: In relation to a food for sale, means any tag, brand, mark or statement in writing or any representation or design or descriptive matter that: (a) Is attached to the food or is a part of or attached to its packaging; or 
 (b) Accompanies and is provided to the purchaser with the food; or 
 (c) Is displayed in connection with the food when it is sold. As per: FSANZ

Lot
Definition: Means an amount of a food that the manufacturer or producer identifies as having been prepared, or from which foods have been packaged or otherwise separated for sale, under essentially the same conditions, for example: (a) from a particular preparation or packing unit; and 
 (b) during a particular time ordinarily not exceeding 24 hours. 
 As per: FSANZ

Lot identification
Definition: For a food for sale, means a number or other information that identifies: (a) the premises where the food was prepared or packed; and 
 (b) the *lot of which the food is a part. 
 As per: FSANZ

Non-traditional food 

Definition: a) a food that does not have a history of human consumption in Australia or New Zealand; or (b) a substance derived from a food, where that substance does not have a history of human consumption in Australia or New Zealand other than as a *component of that food; or (c) any other substance, where that substance, or the source from which it is derived, does not have a history of human consumption as a food in Australia or New Zealand. Either of the following: (a) the presence of a food in a food for special medical purposes; (b) the use of a food as a food for special medical purposes; does not constitute a history of human consumption in Australia or New Zealand in relation to that food for the purposes of this section. As per: FSANZ

Novel food
Definition: Novel food means a *non-traditional food that requires an assessment of the public health and safety considerations having regard to: (a) the potential for adverse effects in humans; or 
 (b) the composition or structure of the food; or 
 (c) the process by which the food has been prepared; or 
 (d) the source from which it is derived; or 
 (e) patterns and levels of consumption of the food; or 
 (f) any other relevant matters. 
 As per: FSANZ

Nutrient profiling score
Definition: Means the final score calculated pursuant to the method referred to in section 1.2.7—26. As per: FSANZ

Nutrition information panel
Definition: Means a nutrition information panel that is required to be included on a label on a package of food in accordance with Standard 1.2.8. As per: FSANZ

Nutritive Substance
Definition: (1) In relation to a food if
it is added to the food: (a) to achieve a nutritional purpose; and 
 (b) it is a substance identified in subsection (2). 
 (2) For subsection (1), the substances are: (a) Any substance that is identified in this Code as one that may be *used as a nutritive substance; and (b) A vitamin or a mineral; and 
 (c) Any substance (other than an inulin-type fructan, a galacto-oligosaccharide or a substance normally consumed as a food) that has been concentrated refined or synthesised, to achieve a nutritional purpose when added to a food. 
 As per: FSANZ

Package
Definition: (a) Means any container or wrapper in or by which food for sale is wholly or
partly encased, covered, enclosed, contained or packaged; and 
 (b) If food is carried or sold or intended to be carried and sold in more than one package—includes each package; and 
 (c) Does not include: (i) a *bulk cargo container; or 
 (ii) a pallet overwrap; or 
 (iii) a crate and packages which do not obscure labels on the food; or 
 (iv) a transportation vehicle; or 
 (v) a vending machine; or 
 (vi) a hamper; or 
 (vii) a container or wrapper (including a covered plate, cup, tray or other food container) in which food is served in a prison, hospital or *medical institution; or 
 (viii) for Standard 2.9.5—a covered plate, cup, tray or other food container in which food for special medical purposes is served by a *responsible institution to a patient or resident. 
 As per: FSANZ

Processing aid
Definition: In relation
to a food is a reference to a substance that is used during the course of processing: (a) To perform a technological purpose in the course of processing; and 
 (b) Does not perform a technological purpose in a food for sale; 
 As per: FSANZ

RDI
Definition: Means Recommended Dietary Intake. See Schedule 1 - RDI's and ESADDI's and standard 1.1.2—10. As per: FSANZ

Reference Food
Definition: In relation to a claim, means a food that is: (a) of the same type as the food for which the claim is made and that has not been further processed, formulated, reformulated or modified to increase or decrease the energy value or the amount of the nutrient for which the claim is made; or 
 (b) a dietary substitute for the food in the same *food group as the food for which the claim is made. 
 As per: FSANZ

Serving
Definition: Means an amount of the food which constitutes one normal serving when prepared according to manufacturer’s directions or when the food requires no further preparation before consumption, and in the case of a formulated meal replacement is equivalent to one meal. As per: FSANZ

Use by date
Definition: For a food for sale, means the date after which it is estimated that the food should not be consumed because of health or safety reasons, if the food: (a) Remains in an intact package during its storage; and 
 (b) Is stored in accordance with any storage conditions applicable under section Standard 1.2.6. 
 As per: FSANZ

Warning statements
Definition: for a food for sale, means a statement about a particular aspect of the food that is required to be expressed in the words set out in the following provisions: (a) section 1.2.3—3 (warning statement relating to royal jelly); 
 (b) section 2.6.3—4 (warning statement relating to kava); 
 (c) subsection 2.9.1—19(1) or section 2.9.1—13 (warning statements for infant formula product); 
 (d) paragraph 2.9.2—7(3)(c) or 2.9.2—8(1)(b) (warning statements for food for infants); 
 (e) subparagraph 2.9.4—4(1)(a)(iii) or 2.9.4—4(1)(a)(iv) (warning statements for formulated supplementary sports food). 
 As per: FSANZ