Response to Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s Preliminary Position on the Nutrition Information Panel Review

The George Institute for Global Health has responded to Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ’s) preliminary position on the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) review. This submission builds on our response to FSANZ’s call for information on the Health Star Rating (HSR) and NIP in January 2025.

We agree that the NIP does not require significant changes and largely meets its intended purposes. As such, we welcome FSANZ’s proposal to discontinue the NIP review.

However, several important issues affecting consumer use and understanding of the NIP, transparency and accountability for industry, and other initiatives to protect and promote public health remain unresolved. Measures to address these concerns can, and should, be further progressed by FSANZ separate to the NIP review.

Our key priority for the NIP remains the mandatory reporting of added sugars content. While dietary guidelines recommend avoiding sugars added to foods, the NIP currently does not allow consumers to identify products containing or high in added sugars.

Our submission also references other outstanding issues such as label salience and legibility, calls for further transparency to support trust and confidence in food regulation, and reaffirms our positions on online labelling and digital labelling.