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Selling food in New Zealand

In New Zealand, food must meet the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which the Ministry for Primary Industries enforces under the Food Act 2014. Labels must be in English, declare allergens, and name a supplier in New Zealand or Australia. Net quantity falls to Trading Standards, and imported food comes in through a registered food importer.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Food standards
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
Who enforces
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), under the Food Act 2014
Label language
English; other languages must not contradict it
Allergens
Required names, in bold, plus a 'Contains' statement
Supplier on the label
A name and business address in New Zealand or Australia
Importing
Through an importer registered with MPI

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Which parts of the Food Standards Code apply in New Zealand to this food? Read more
  2. 2Is any ingredient a novel food, or an additive outside its permitted uses? Read more
  3. 3What has to be on the label, and in which language? Read more
  4. 4Are allergens declared by their required names? Read more
  5. 5Can the nutrition or health claims you want be made? Read more
  6. 6Is the net quantity marked correctly, and is origin labelling needed? Read more
  7. 7Who imports it, and how is a recall handled? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

The joint Food Standards Code

New Zealand shares its food standards with Australia, with some parts that apply in one country only.

  • The Code applies to food sold, processed or handled for sale in Australia or New Zealand, or imported into either (section 1.1.1—3).
  • The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014.
  • Some parts are not incorporated in New Zealand, including Standard 1.4.2 on agvet chemicals, Standard 2.2.2 on eggs, Standard 2.9.1 on infant formula products, and Chapters 3 and 4 on food safety and primary production.
  • Under the Food Act 2014, a person commits an offence by breaching a requirement in an adopted joint food standard or a domestic food standard.
  • FSANZ develops and maintains the Code but takes no part in enforcement; in New Zealand, MPI enforces the labelling standards.

How we help: Compliant Always sets your product against the Code as it applies in New Zealand, leaving out the Australia-only standards, with the standard named for each line. Ask about this

Labelling

What a packaged food label shows, and how it is shown.

  • MPI says the business name and physical address must be on the label: a PO box, website or email address by itself is not enough.
  • Under 3 months' shelf life, the date mark shows the day and month; over 3 months, the month and year. Foods with a shelf life of 2 years or more need no date mark.
  • Stickers over an imported label are in English, firmly stuck and fully cover the wrong information; changing a date mark needs MPI's prior agreement.
  • Standard 1.2.1 lists the information: the name of the food, lot identification, the supplier's name and address, warning and advisory statements and declarations, ingredients, date marking, storage conditions and directions for use, nutrition information, characterising ingredients, and information on genetically modified or irradiated food where relevant.
  • The supplier's name and business address must be in Australia or New Zealand.
  • Required words must be in English, legible and prominent; any other language on the label must not negate or contradict the English.
  • Ingredients are listed in descending order of ingoing weight, and most packaged foods show the percentage of characterising ingredients.
  • Food that must be eaten by a certain time for health or safety reasons carries a use-by date and cannot legally be sold after it; most other foods carry a best-before date.
  • The nutrition information panel shows energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium, per serving and per 100 g or 100 mL.
  • Warning statements are in type at least 3 mm high, or 1.5 mm on small packages.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your label against the Standard 1.2.1 particulars and shows which are missing or out of date before a retailer or MPI finds them. Ask about this

Allergens and advisory statements

Declaring allergens and the statements certain ingredients need.

  • Since 25 February 2024, allergens are declared by required names: wheat, fish, crustacean, mollusc, egg, milk, lupin, peanut, soy, sesame, each named tree nut, and barley, oats and rye where they contain gluten.
  • Sulphites are declared when added at 10 mg/kg or more.
  • Declarations appear in bold in the ingredients list and in a separate summary statement beginning 'Contains', next to the ingredients list.
  • Food packaged and labelled before 25 February 2024 under the previous rules could be sold until 25 February 2026.
  • 'May contain' statements are voluntary and not regulated by the Code.
  • Advisory statements are required for ingredients such as aspartame, quinine, guarana, added plant sterols and polyols; royal jelly needs a warning statement.

How we help: Compliant Always checks the ingredients list and the 'Contains' statement against the required names, and ties each supplier's allergen declaration to the lot. Ask about this

Nutrition and health claims

When a label or advert may claim a nutrient content or a health benefit.

  • Standard 1.2.7 sets the requirements for nutrition content and health claims.
  • A general level health claim can rest on one of more than 200 pre-approved food-health relationships, or on a self-substantiated relationship notified to FSANZ before the claim is made.
  • High level health claims must rest on one of the 13 pre-approved relationships in Schedule 4.
  • Foods carrying health claims must meet the nutrient profiling scoring criterion and the other conditions in the Standard.
  • Under the Fair Trading Act, a business needs reasonable grounds for a claim at the time it makes it.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the evidence behind each claim with the product, and shows whether it rests on a listed relationship or a notification. Ask about this

Novel foods, additives and contaminants

What may go into the food, and in what amounts.

  • A novel food may be sold, or used as an ingredient, only if listed in the table to section S25—2 with its conditions of use; anyone wanting to sell one applies to FSANZ.
  • Permitted additives are listed in Standard 1.3.1, with permitted uses and restrictions by food type in Schedule 15.
  • Standard 1.4.1 sets maximum levels of contaminants and natural toxicants, including some that may come from packaging.
  • In New Zealand, maximum residue limits for agricultural compounds are set in a Maximum Residue Limits Standard issued under the Food Act 2014, and MPI enforces them.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your recipe, specifications and lab reports against the lists and limits that apply, with the source beside each one. Ask about this

Net quantity, origin and unit pricing

Rules set outside the Code, by MBIE and the Commerce Commission.

  • Prepackaged food must be labelled with net quantity by weight, volume or number in metric units, at least 2 mm high and close to the name of the goods.
  • Packers, manufacturers, importers and retailers must make sure packages contain the stated net quantity; Trading Standards assesses automated production lines under the Average Quantity System.
  • Country of origin labelling for certain foods applies in New Zealand from 12 February 2022, under the Consumer Information Standards (Origin of Food) Regulations 2021.
  • Unit pricing regulations apply to grocery retailers with over 1,000 m² of floor space that sell the listed categories, and to online retailers that sell them.
  • Labels must not mislead; the Food Act 2014 and the Fair Trading Act 1986 both prohibit false or misleading representations.

How we help: Compliant Always checks the quantity statement and origin wording on your artwork, and keeps your fill-weight records with each lot. Ask about this

Import, registration and recalls

How food comes into New Zealand, and what happens when it is unsafe.

  • The Food Act 2014 requires food imported for sale to come in through an importer registered with MPI, which keeps a public register of registered food importers.
  • Customs holds alerts on tariff items that need biosecurity or food safety clearance before entry; food safety clearances carry the code FSA.
  • Food safety recalls are handled by MPI; a recall that falls under food legislation does not also need to be notified to MBIE.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the importer registration, clearances and supplier documents with each shipment, and shows what expires before the next one. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandThe label, the claims and the supplier details shown on the pack.The label checked against the Code as it applies in New Zealand, with the paperwork behind it.
ManufacturerComposition within the Code, lot identification and the stated net quantity.Specifications, lab reports and fill records kept by lot, ready for a customer's form.
Registered food importerBringing food in for sale under the Food Act 2014.Suppliers' documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerSelling food that meets the rules, and unit pricing where it applies.Answers to retailer questionnaires drawn from the record.

Questions businesses ask

Does the Australian Food Standards Code apply in New Zealand?
Mostly. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code applies to food sold or imported in either country, but some parts are Australia-only, including the agvet chemical, egg, infant formula, food safety and primary production standards. The parts that apply in New Zealand are adopted under the Food Act 2014.
Who enforces food labelling in New Zealand?
The Ministry for Primary Industries enforces the Food Standards Code labelling standards in New Zealand. The Commerce Commission enforces the Fair Trading Act on misleading claims, and Trading Standards at MBIE checks net quantity.
What has to be on a food label in New Zealand?
Under Standard 1.2.1: the name of the food, lot identification, the supplier's name and New Zealand or Australian address, required statements and declarations, ingredients, date marking, storage and directions for use, nutrition information and characterising ingredients.
Does a food label in New Zealand have to be in English?
Yes. Words the Code requires must be in English, legible and prominent. Another language may also appear, but it must not negate or contradict the English.
How do I declare allergens on a New Zealand food label?
Use the required names, such as milk, egg, peanut or each named tree nut, in bold in the ingredients list, and repeat them in a bold summary statement beginning 'Contains' next to the ingredients. These rules took effect on 25 February 2024.
Can I put a health claim on food sold in New Zealand?
Only under Standard 1.2.7. General level claims rest on a pre-approved food-health relationship or one you self-substantiate and notify to FSANZ first. High level claims need one of 13 pre-approved relationships, and the food must meet the nutrient profiling criterion.
Do I need approval for a new food ingredient in New Zealand?
If it is a novel food, yes: it must be listed in the table to section S25—2 of the Code, which means applying to FSANZ for a pre-market safety assessment.
Do I need to register to import food into New Zealand?
Yes. The Food Act 2014 requires food imported for sale to come in through an importer registered with MPI.
How must net weight be shown on food in New Zealand?
In metric units, by weight, volume or number, in a prominent position near the name, in figures at least 2 mm high that contrast with the background. Packages must contain at least the stated quantity.
Does food in New Zealand need country of origin labelling?
Certain foods do, since 12 February 2022, under the Consumer Information Standards (Origin of Food) Regulations 2021. Grape wine must also be labelled with its country or countries of origin.
Who handles a food recall in New Zealand?
MPI handles food safety recalls. A recall under food legislation does not also need to be notified to MBIE under the Fair Trading Act.
Can I put a sticker over an imported food label in New Zealand?
Yes, if the sticker is in English, firmly stuck and fully covers the wrong information, and nothing left visible contradicts it, even in another language. MPI says changing a date mark needs its prior agreement.
Who can register as a food importer in New Zealand?
MPI says the importer must be a New Zealand-resident individual or company with a Customs client code linked to the registration. Consignments from unregistered importers are held at the border; a registered agent can be used.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in New Zealand?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the Food Standards Code New Zealand shares with Australia. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in New Zealand and what your paperwork needs to show.

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