Every rule that governs what goes on an Australian pack, the bodies behind them, and links to the primary sources. Written plainly, kept current, and built to be the reference you can trust.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 · Reviewed by Morice & Co, the packaging and branding studio that publishes this resource.
Australia has no single packaging law. It has many.
Packaging in Australia is governed by a patchwork of bodies, food standards, therapeutic-goods rules, chemical regulation, consumer law, recycling schemes and state container deposits. No one agency owns it, which is why compliance is easy to get wrong. This page maps the whole landscape in one place, tells you who administers each part, and links straight to the source of truth. It is general information to help you plan, not legal advice.
Jump to: Food and beverage labelling Country-of-origin labelling Health Star Rating Supplements and therapeutic goods Cosmetics and personal care Alcohol labelling Recycling and sustainability Container deposit schemes Barcodes and product identifiers Australian Made and origin marks Consumer law and claims.
The Food Standards Code sets what a food or drink label must carry in Australia and New Zealand. It is the baseline that most grocery packaging is judged against.
Most food made, grown or produced in Australia must carry a standard country-of-origin mark, the kangaroo-in-a-triangle symbol, an origin statement, and a bar chart showing the minimum percentage of Australian ingredients by weight. This is a separate scheme from the Australian Made logo.
A front-of-pack rating from half a star to five stars, scoring a product on overall nutrition. It is voluntary today, but on 13 February 2026 Australia’s food ministers asked FSANZ to prepare a proposal (P1067) to make it mandatory. Nothing is compulsory yet, and a transition period would apply if a mandate proceeds.
Most vitamins and supplements are complementary medicines regulated by the TGA and must be listed before sale, carrying an AUST L, AUST L(A) or AUST R number. Some products, such as formulated supplementary sports foods, are instead regulated as foods under FSANZ. Classification is the first decision, because the rules differ.
Cosmetics are governed by ingredient-labelling rules and Australian Consumer Law, with the chemicals themselves regulated by AICIS. A therapeutic claim (treating a condition) can reclassify a cosmetic as a therapeutic good under the TGA, so claims must be worded carefully.
Alcoholic drinks follow the Food Standards Code plus alcohol-specific requirements, including the mandatory pregnancy warning label, which has set size, colour and wording rules.
The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) tells shoppers how to dispose of each part of a pack, and it can only be used after each component is assessed through PREP. It is run by APCO under a co-regulatory arrangement that the federal government is now reforming toward a mandatory, recyclable-by-design framework. In-store soft-plastics collection has also returned under a new scheme, Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, authorised by the ACCC in November 2025.
State and territory container deposit schemes give a 10 cent refund on eligible drink containers, which must carry a refund marking. Coverage is expanding: on 1 July 2026 Western Australia and the Northern Territory added most containers from 150 millilitres to three litres, including wine and spirits, with other states and the ACT following. Generous transition periods apply, but the mark has to be designed into the label.
A retail barcode encodes a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) that uniquely identifies one product in one size. Major Australian retailers and marketplaces expect barcodes issued through GS1, so third-party numbers can cause listing problems. Each variant needs its own GTIN, rendered as an EAN-13 symbol with correct size, contrast and quiet zones.
The green-and-gold kangaroo Australian Made logo is a registered certification trademark, licensed per product by Australian Made Campaign Ltd only after an eligibility assessment. It is distinct from the country-of-origin food mark, though the two are often confused.
Every claim on a pack, health, environmental, origin or performance, must be truthful and able to be substantiated under Australian Consumer Law. The ACCC has signalled close attention to greenwashing, so vague environmental wording is a real risk.
In practice yes. Major Australian retailers and marketplaces expect a GS1-issued GTIN rendered as an EAN-13 barcode, with one unique number per product variant. It is a retailer requirement rather than a law.
Not yet. It is voluntary, but on 13 February 2026 food ministers asked FSANZ to prepare a proposal (P1067) to mandate it. A transition period would apply if it proceeds.
Most supplements are complementary medicines that must be listed with the TGA and carry an AUST L, AUST L(A) or AUST R number. Some sports foods are regulated as foods under FSANZ instead. Confirm your product’s classification before finalising artwork.
A nutrition information panel, ingredient list in descending order, allergen declarations, date marking, country-of-origin labelling, net weight or volume, lot identification, and supplier name and address.
Increasingly, yes. Western Australia and the Northern Territory added wine and spirits from 1 July 2026, and other states and the ACT are following. Check the current rule for each state you sell in.
It is largely self-regulated. The voluntary Australian Standard AS 5812, maintained by the PFIAA, sets best-practice manufacturing and labelling, and Australian Consumer Law still requires every claim to be truthful.
Only with a licence from Australian Made Campaign Ltd, granted per product after an eligibility check. The Australian Made logo is separate from the country-of-origin food mark.
Environmental claims that are vague, unqualified or unsubstantiated, such as "eco-friendly" with no evidence. The ACCC scrutinises these under Australian Consumer Law, so tie any claim to specific evidence and the correct label.
Regulations change. Before you print, confirm the current position with the relevant body:
This reference is published and maintained by Morice & Co, a Melbourne packaging and branding studio with over 20 years designing retail packaging across FMCG, supplements, beauty and pet. It is checked against primary sources and reviewed by a practising packaging designer.
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