AFGC unveils simplified product information form

A simplified Product Information Form (PIF) offering a wider variety of information about food ingredients, their composition and the presence of allergens was released by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).

The updated PIF Version 3.0 is an improvement on earlier versions of the form - first launched in 2008 - as it includes added functionality and user features that make it easy for food suppliers and food manufacturers to complete the form.

The PIF provides a single, industry-agreed questionnaire used by food and grocery companies to provide information and meet the obligations for labelling and product identification, as specified by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and other relevant regulatory requirements for biosecurity and consumer protection.

AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said having a standardised form instead of hundreds of individual company forms was a major benefit for industry.

“The PIF provides Australian food manufacturing businesses with considerable savings in time and resources to provide the same information to all their customers, and reduces the risks of typographical and clerical errors in completing the form. Since the PIF was first introduced, there has been wide acceptance of the use of the form across the entire industry,” Carnell said.

“Reducing duplication and regulation is a major benefit for industry which ultimately helps to provide safe, nutritious and affordable products for consumers.”

The PIF Version 3.0 was released as an Excel file compatible with Microsoft Office 2003 and later versions and can be downloaded from AFGC’s website: www.afgc.org.au/tools-guides-/product-info-form.html.