Kilojoule menu labelling
Overview
The Food Act 2006 (the Act) requires chain food restaurants to display the kilojoule content of their food and drinks. These requirements are known as Fast Choices, and are intended to help Queenslanders make healthier choices when eating fast food.
Who needs to comply?
Fast food chains who sell standard food items at either 20 outlets in Queensland or 50 outlets nationally are required to comply with the kilojoule menu labelling requirements.
Standard food items, are standardised for portion size and content, meaning they are sold in standard serving sizes (eg small, medium, large) and prepared from a standard recipe.
Examples of typical standard food outlets captured include:
- quick service restaurants
- pizza chains
- coffee chains
- bakery chains
- ice-cream chains
- doughnut chains
- beverage chains
- salad chains
- supermarket chains
- café chains offering take away.
Exemptions
Some exemptions to the requirements exist and include:
- cinemas and convenience stores
- service stations
- mobile food vehicles
- dine in only restaurants
- food business:
- primarily involved in catering operations
- carried on by a non-profit organisation
- primarily providing food services to patients of a health service facility
- trial products.
Food businesses who are not captured by the provisions may choose to display kilojoule information, however, the information must be displayed in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
Information to be displayed
Captured food businesses must display:
- the average energy content in kilojoules of each standard food item for sale by the standard food outlet; and
- the statement ‘the average adult daily energy intake is 8,700 kJ’.
Where does the information need to be displayed?
Businesses are required to display the information on in-store menus (including menu boards, printed menus, drive-through menu boards and individual name/price tags), online ordering websites, mobile phone applications and printed menus distributed to households.
The requirements do not apply to digital and printed materials not intended to enable ordering, such as a supermarket catalogue.
Calculating the kilojoules
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has an online Nutrition Panel Calculator which helps food manufacturers calculate the average nutrient content of their food products and prepare a nutrition information panel. This calculator can be used by food businesses to calculate the kilojoules in standard food items.
More information
See the Queensland Health user guide detailing Fast Choices: kilojoule menu labelling scheme.
If you have any further questions regarding the implementation or enforcement of Fast Choices, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.