Do I need a label?

Find out if your food needs to have a label based on a few simple questions.

Remember, complete the questions for each way that you sell your food!

Question Id Question TextResponseNext
Q1

How do you sell your food?

Direct to a customer (retail) Q2
  Wholesale to a food business Q10
Q2

Is the food sold at a fundraising event?

A fundraising event is an event used to raise funds solely for a community or charitable cause and not for personal financial gain.  For example:

  • a cake stall
  • a sausage sizzle
Yes Outcome3-Fundraising
   No Q3
Q3

Is the food sold in a package?

A package is any container or wrapper where the food is wholly or partly covered.  For example:

  • jam or pickled vegetables in a glass jar
  • pre-made sandwiches covered with plastic wrap
  • takeaway food wrapped in paper or placed in a container
  • meat pie or baked goods placed in a paper bag
  • protein balls in a cellophane bag
Yes Q4
   No Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
Q4

Is the food made and packaged on the premises from which it is sold?

For example:

  • sandwiches made and sold pre-packaged from a sandwich bar
  • coleslaw made and sold pre-packaged from a takeaway shop
  • Turkish delight made and sold pre-packaged from a kebab shop
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Q5
Q5

Is the food packaged in the presence of the customer?

For example:

  • cheese and meats from a delicatessen
  • bread, cakes, pies and pastries from a bakery
  • meat from a butcher
  • chocolate from a confectionary shop
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Q6
Q6

Is the food ready-to-eat and made to order for a customer?

For example:

  • fish and chips
  • sandwich made to order at a sandwich bar
  • baked potato from a food truck
  • ice cream scooped in a cone provided to the customer on request
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Q7
Q7

Is the food packaged and displayed in an assisted service display cabinet?

The food is in a display cabinet where the food business serves the food to the customer.

For example:

  • whole cake purchased by a cafe, cut into portions, wrapped in clear plastic food wrap and displayed in a cabinet, where the cafe operator will provide the food to the customer on request
  • sandwiches pre-made by a cafe prior to the lunch rush and handed to a customer on request
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Q8
Q8

Is the food whole or cut fresh fruit and vegetables (other than seed sprouts or similar products) in a package that shows the nature or quality of the food?

For example:

  • individual fruit and vegetables for sale at a fruit shop
  • bulk packs of fruit or vegetables sold in a mesh bag
  • whole or cut fruit or vegetables sold in clear plastic packaging, such as ready-to-eat vegetables and fruit salads
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Q9
Q9

Is the food sold in individual portion packages?

Individual portion packages are food that is:

  • intended to be used separately
  • not designed for individual sale
  • sold in a package with a surface area that is less than 30cm2

For example:

  • sachets of sauce sold in a box of 100 sachets
  • small packets of snack food sold as a 10 pack of snacks
Yes Outcome1-RetailNoLabel
   No Outcome2-RetailLabel
Q10 What type of food business do you sell your food to?

Food for catering purposes is food for use in restaurants, canteens, schools, caterers or self-catering institutions, where food is offered for immediate consumption.

Caterer Q11
  Food manufacturer Q13
Q11

Is the food sold in a package?

A package is any container or wrapper where the food is wholly or partly covered.  For example:

  • whole cakes or desserts boxed and sold to café to be sliced and served to customers
  • flour, milk, eggs, etc sold to a restaurant to prepare meals
Yes Q12
   No Outcome5-CatererNoLabel
Q12

Is the food whole or cut fresh fruit and vegetables (other than seed sprouts or similar products) in a package that shows the nature or quality of the food?

For example:

  • bulk packs of fruit or vegetables sold in a mesh bag
  • whole or cut fruit or vegetables sold in clear plastic packaging, such as ready-to-eat vegetables and fruit salads
Yes Outcome5-CatererNoLabel
   No Outcome4-CatererLabel
Q13

Is the food sold in a package?

A package is any container or wrapper where the food is wholly or partly covered.  For example:

  • bulk flour sold to a bakery to make bread and other baked goods
  • peanuts and sultanas sold a food manufacturer to make protein balls
Yes Outcome6-OtherLabel
   No Outcome7-OtherNoLabel

Next steps

Use Label Buster to help you create a product sheet with all of the labelling information you may need to provide.

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 1 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.


Next steps

To understand what you need to include on a food label you can:

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 1 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.


Next steps

Use Label Buster to help you create a product sheet with all of the labelling information you may need to provide to customers.

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about fundraising events and your labelling requirements.

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 1 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.


Next steps

To understand what you need to include on a food label and in product sheet you can:

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 2 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.


Next steps

To understand what you need to include in a product sheet you can:

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 2 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.


Next steps

To understand what you need to include on a food label and in a product sheet you can:

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.



Next steps

To understand what you need to include in a product sheet you can:

Start Label Buster


Check if another food product needs a food label by restarting Do I need a food label?

More information

Read more about the labelling requirements in Division 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1 - Requirements to have labels or otherwise provide information.

If you have any further questions regarding the labelling requirements for your food, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.