Fast Choices program: nutritional information menu labelling

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Overview

Fast Choices is the NSW Government’s nutritional information menu labelling program for business chains and franchises selling takeaway, ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The program aims to help consumers make healthier choices by displaying kilojoule (kJ) values for standard food items.

NSW Food Act and Food Regulation require some food businesses (‘standard food outlet’) to display the following nutritional information at a point of sale that is displayed on a (‘menu’):

  • the average energy content of each ‘standard food item’ for sale by the standard food outlet, expressed in kilojoules (kJ), and 
  • the reference statement: ‘The average adult daily energy intake is 8,700 kJ’ 

Standard food items

Standard food items are: 

  • controlled for portion size and content, even if offered in different sizes (for example, small or large)
  • sold unpackaged
  • made according to a standard recipe at the premises
  • may be combination meals that contain a selection of default standard food items. 

Standard food outlets 

Food businesses that meet the following criteria must comply with nutritional information menu labelling: 

  • the business operates as part of a chain of food businesses that share the same trading name and share a consistent or uniform menu that includes standard food items, and
  • the standard food items include RTE, takeaway products, and
  • trade under a shared trading name and branding with 20 or more outlets in NSW, or 50 or more outlets nationally. 

Standard food outlets include quick service restaurants, shopping centre food court outlets, pizza chains, hot and cold beverage chains, bakery chains, ice cream chains, doughnut chains, salad chains, sushi chains, sandwich chains, café chains and supermarkets. 

Businesses exempt from Fast Choices

The following businesses are exempt from the requirements: 

  • convenience stores (that is, not a supermarket)
  • service stations selling fuel for motor vehicles
  • food businesses that primarily provide food catering services
  • food businesses that only sell food for consumption on the premises at which it is sold (for example, dine-in only restaurants and cafés)
  • food sold by retail at a healthcare facility
  • vending machines selling prepackaged food labelled with a nutrition information panel (NIP). 

Nutritional information 

Kilojoule information must be: 

  • displayed for all standard food items by stand food outlets  
  • legible and displayed as ‘kJ’
  • close to, or near the name or price of the item so as to be clearly associated with the item
  • in the same font, and at least the same font size as the price of the standard food item, or the same font size as the name of the item if no price is displayed
  • Calculating the average kJ content for each standard food item in line with Standard 1.2.8 and section S11—2 of Schedule 11 of the Food Standards Code. 

The reference statement must be:

  • legible and displayed close to, or near the item so as to be clearly associated with the item
  • in the same font as the name of the item or, if no name is displayed, the same font as the price of the item
  • at least the same font size, as the name of the item or, the same font size as the price of the item if no name is displayed. If more than one item is displayed (for example, a bakery cabinet) the font size must be at least the same size as the largest font displayed

Menu

The menu is any display that identifies the available food items for the consumer to choose from when purchasing at a point of sale. A menu:  

  • may be printed or digital, and includes digital menus accessed through hyperlinks, QR codes, self-serve displays, kiosks, apps or webpages
  • includes any display that shows the name or price of a standard food item visible to prospective consumers at the point of sale, such as leaflets, posters, item and price tags for products on display, and mounted boards – whether overhead, on walls, counters, or mobile/digital frames. 

Resources and more information

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