FSANZ and the Panel
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) sets the labelling rules for packaged food and drink products in Australia. The Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) is the standardised table you'll see on the back of any sports drink or electrolyte product.
What's Required
Per-serve and per-100-g (or per-100-ml) columns. Energy (kJ), protein (g), fat (total and saturated), carbohydrate (total and sugars), and sodium (mg) are required. "Serve size" is defined by the manufacturer and varies.
What's Optional
Potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamins, and other minerals can be declared if the product contains nutritionally relevant amounts. For an electrolyte product, you'll often see these listed because the product is positioned around them - but it's not required.
Reading Per-Serve, Not Per-100
The per-serve column is what you actually consume. Per-100-g is useful for like-for-like comparison between products with different serve sizes - but for actual use, per-serve is the dose. Read it first.
"Serving Suggestion" Variations
A tub might list a single scoop as the serve; the product might recommend two scoops for a sports session. Read the directions, not just the panel - the practical dose may not match the NIP's serve.
Sweeteners on the Ingredient List
The ingredient list (separate from the NIP) shows ingredients in order of weight. Look for sweetener types - stevia, sucralose, allulose, monk fruit - to know what you're tasting. Sweetener Comparison goes through this.
"No Added" Claims
Claims like "no added sugar" follow specific FSANZ rules. The product can still contain naturally-occurring sugars (e.g. from real fruit), so check the sugars line on the NIP, not just the front-of-pack claim.
Frequently Asked
What's required on an Australian food label?
FSANZ requires the Nutrition Information Panel with per-serve and per-100-g columns covering energy (kJ), protein, fat (total + saturated), carbohydrate (total + sugars), and sodium.
Why aren't all electrolytes listed on the label?
Only sodium is required for general food products. Potassium, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals are optional declarations that brands include when nutritionally relevant.
What does 'no added sugar' mean on Australian labels?
FSANZ rules allow the claim when no sugar is added during manufacture. The product can still contain naturally-occurring sugars (e.g. from fruit). Check the sugars line on the panel.
