Alcoholic drinks

The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Food Standards Code) sets out the requirements for importers and retailers for the labelling of packaged alcoholic beverages.

Importers and retail food businesses must not sell food that does not comply with the labelling requirements of the Food Standards Code. If a product imported into Queensland does not contain all the required information, this can be rectified by applying a label containing the missing information to each individual product. Note that it is an offence to alter, remove, erase, obliterate or obscure information that is prescribed by the Food Standards Code to be on a label, unless authorised by Queensland Health (Standard 1.2.1-22).

Queensland Health Public Health Units are responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of food labelling requirements. Significant penalties apply for noncompliance with the Food Standards Code.

What is required under the Food Standards Code

It is important that all food businesses, including importers and retailers, are familiar with the requirements of the Food Standards Code. Chapter 1 of the Food Standards Code contains the labelling provisions and information that must be provided for foods, and the requirements for how this information must be presented. Standard 2.7 imposes additional labelling and information requirements specific to alcoholic products. The main requirements and reference to the relevant Standard in the Food Standards Code include:

• the name/description of the product (Standard 1.2.2-2)
• the supplier/importer’s name and business address in Australia or New Zealand (Standard 1.2.2-4)
• lot identification details (Standard 1.2.2-3)
• a declaration of allergens e.g. added sulphites, egg or distilled from wheat (Standard 1.2.3-4)
• the ‘best-before’ date, for products with a shelf life of less than 2 years (Standard 1.2.5-3)
• the approximate number of standard drinks in the package (Standard 2.7.1-4)
• a statement of the alcohol content of the beverage (Standard 2.7.1-3)
• a pregnancy warning label (Standard 2.7.1 Division 4).

There are other labelling requirements which have not been included here. For more information, refer to Standard 2.7 of the Food Standards Code.

Parallel importation

Parallel importation is when a product manufactured for sale in a foreign market is imported into Australia without authorisation from the manufacturer, and is sold alongside a similar product that has been specifically manufactured for the Australian market.

For example, the appearance of parallel beer imports on the Australian market has been associated with noncompliance with certain labelling requirements of the Food Standards Code, including the absence of the importer’s name and business address in Australia or New Zealand and the number of standard drinks in the package. Information on selling parallel imports is also available from the ACCC.

Pregnancy warning labelling

Packaged alcoholic beverages with more than 1.15% alcohol by volume for retail sale in Australia and New Zealand (or sold as suitable for retail sale without any further processing, packaging or labelling) must display a pregnancy warning label. There are specific size and design requirements for pregnancy warning labels.

This does not apply to a beverage that is packaged in the presence of the purchaser. For example:

• wine or beer served in a glass at a restaurant or bar
• fill your own container at a bottle store
• additional packaging applied in the presence of the retail purchaser.

Alternative requirements exist for pregnancy warning labels for corrugated cardboard outer packaging containing more than one individual container (e.g. one bottle or can) of an alcoholic beverage, which can display either the existing or optional alternative pregnancy warning label.

Alcoholic beverages packaged and labelled on or before 31 July 2023 (or 1 February 2024 for post-printed corrugated cardboard outer packaging) can be sold without a pregnancy warning label.

This is due to recognition that alcoholic beverages may have a slow market turnover or may be intended for ageing/cellaring before sale.

For further information on pregnancy warning labels, including downloadable images, see the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website Pregnancy warning labels on alcoholic beverages.

Country of origin labelling

Packaged alcoholic beverages are also subject to Australian Consumer Law, country of origin food labelling requirements, administered by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). Information about country of origin labelling requirements are available from the ACCC.

Restriction on use of geographical indications

A geographical indication means an indication that identifies a product as originating in a particular country, locality or region; and where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its origin. For example, a whisky only produced in Scotland, in accordance with United Kingdom laws, can be labelled ‘Scotch Whisky’.

Standard 2.7.5-4 prohibits a geographical indication being used for a spirit unless the spirit has been produced in the country, locality or region indicated. The Standard also prohibits a spirit being sold under a geographical indication where the spirit is lawfully exported under the geographical indication from the indicated country, locality or region but bottled in another country, locality or region. This prohibition does not apply if the alcohol by volume concentration for the spirit is at a level permitted under the applicable laws for that geographical indication.

Geographical indications are also recognised as intellectual property and therefore apply to many other food products, including wine. More information is available from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

More information

If you have a concern about the labelling or composition of an alcoholic beverage, contact your local Queensland Health Public Health Unit.