I spend more time reading food labels than most people would consider reasonable. It started as professional interest and became a minor obsession. And the more I read, the more frustrated I get.

Australian food labelling laws have genuine strengths. The country-of-origin system is better than most countries. Allergen declarations are clear. Nutritional panels are standardised.

But there’s a layer of marketing language on food packaging that is either unregulated or so loosely regulated that it borders on meaningless. And it’s shaping how millions of Australians shop.

”Natural”

This word appears on everything from chips to yoghurt to processed chicken products. It implies wholesome, minimally processed, close to nature.

In Australia, there is no legal definition of “natural” on food labels. Companies can use it freely. A product loaded with refined sugar, processed starches, and flavour enhancers can be called “natural” if the manufacturer feels like it. And many do.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has guidelines suggesting “natural” should mean the product doesn’t contain added substances and hasn’t been significantly processed. But guidelines aren’t regulations. There’s no enforcement mechanism.

”Free-range”

This one has gotten marginally better. For eggs, the term “free-range” now has a legal definition in Australia: a maximum stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare, with meaningful outdoor access.

But that definition only applies to eggs. For chicken meat, pork, and other animal products, “free-range” is far less regulated. A “free-range” chicken might have had access to an outdoor area for a portion of its life. The size of that area, the duration of access, and the conditions aren’t standardised in the same way.

And even with eggs, 10,000 hens per hectare is still a lot of chickens. The CSIRO’s welfare science suggests that genuine free-range behaviour requires much lower densities. Some premium egg producers voluntarily operate at 1,500 or fewer hens per hectare. The difference in animal welfare is significant.

”Locally sourced”

Sounds great. Supports local producers. Reduces food miles. Except “local” has no legal definition on Australian food labels. A restaurant in Melbourne claiming “locally sourced” ingredients might mean from Victoria, or from New South Wales, or from Australia broadly. There’s no standard distance or geography.

Some businesses are transparent about what they mean by local. Others use it as a feel-good marketing term without substance.

”Made in Australia” vs. “Product of Australia”

This is one area where the labelling system is actually useful, but most consumers don’t understand the distinction.

“Product of Australia” means the food was grown, produced, and manufactured here. Essentially all of it is Australian.

“Made in Australia” means the food was manufactured or processed here, but the ingredients might have come from anywhere. A pasta sauce “Made in Australia” could use imported tomatoes, imported garlic, and imported olive oil, with the manufacturing (mixing and bottling) happening domestically.

The country-of-origin labels now include a percentage bar showing how much of the ingredients are Australian. Read it. It’s one of the few parts of the labelling system that’s genuinely informative.

”No added hormones”

You’ll see this on chicken and pork products. It sounds like a quality differentiator. But here’s the thing: the use of hormones in chicken and pork production has been banned in Australia for decades. All Australian chicken is hormone-free. All of it. Putting “no added hormones” on the label is like advertising that water is wet. It’s technically true but implies a distinction that doesn’t exist.

”Artisan” and “Handcrafted”

Neither of these terms is regulated. An industrial bakery can call its products “artisan.” A factory-scale food manufacturer can label something “handcrafted.” There’s no requirement for actual artisanal production methods or manual craftsmanship.

What to actually look at

If you want to make informed food choices, skip the marketing language and focus on:

The ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. If sugar is in the top three ingredients, there’s a lot of sugar in there, regardless of what the front of the packet says.

The nutritional panel. Look at the “per 100g” column for fair comparisons between products. Focus on sodium, sugar, and saturated fat.

The country-of-origin label. The bar chart telling you what percentage of ingredients are Australian is genuinely useful information.

Certification marks. Organic certification (through recognised bodies like Australian Certified Organic), MSC for seafood, and RSPCA Approved for animal products are all third-party verified. They mean more than marketing claims.

Labelling reform is overdue. FSANZ has been reviewing several of these areas, but progress is slow. In the meantime, the best defence is knowing what the terms actually mean — and which ones mean nothing at all.