Food additives in Australia and New Zealand
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand share one instrument, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, so they are one row here rather than two. Schedule 15 lists the substances that may be used as food additives and the classes of food each may be used in, with maximum levels; Schedule 16 groups additives so that a permission can be given to a whole class, such as the colourings permitted to a maximum level.
A permission given for a food class reaches the sub-classes beneath it, with named exceptions — butter, for instance, takes nothing from its parent class, and coconut milk takes no colourings.
What this index holds
351 of the 1189 substances on this site carry a Australia and New Zealand entry, across 14,486 provisions. Last retrieved 2026-10-17 from Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Schedule 15 (compilation No. 16), under CC BY 4.0. Conditions are given by food category, using the australia and new zealand food categories of Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Schedule 15.
- 334 permitted, with conditions
- 17 permitted
What is read, and what is not
Read:
- Schedule 15 in full, with Schedule 16 group permissions expanded onto their members, from the compilation registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.
Not read:
- Processing aids and nutritive substances, which the Code handles in other schedules.
- Standards for particular foods that restrict an additive beyond Schedule 15.
What an empty row means
A page with no Australia and New Zealand row means no entry in Schedule 15 matched the substance. Schedule 15 is a closed list for food additives, but processing aids and nutritive substances sit outside it.
The instruments
Elsewhere
Compare Australia and New Zealand with another regulator on the comparison pages, or read how the whole index is built in the method.