Myth #4: Serving sizes will be manipulated to mislead consumers as to the proportion of energy or nutrients that a serve represents.

Reality Check:  The Australian Food and Grocery Council recognises that this possibility needs to be addressed and has done so through:

• an agreement regarding serving size principles, and
• specific agreements within certain categories.

The principles (see below) recognise that items intended as single serves should be so designated and that multiple serve products should be a reasonable multiple of the single serve.

For example, the beverage industry has agreed that product up to and including 600ml should be designated single serves and that above that size, a single serve shall be 250ml. The AFGC is working towards agreements within other categories to standardise serve sizes in order to aid consumer understanding of percent Daily Intake labelling.

AFGC Principles for the Appropriate Use of Serving Size

Purpose:
To ensure consumers continue to be appropriately informed about the energy and nutrient content of foods they eat.

Principles:

1. Single serve items should be appropriate sizes for the target market.
2. The serving portion should be realistic (at both the lower and upper levels).
3. If a product is packed such that it can be reasonably expected to be consumed by the target market in one serving then the pack should be the “serving size”, and the energy and nutrient content of the whole pack should be clearly indicated.
4. Multiple serve items should consist of appropriate serve sizes in relation to single serve packs.
5. Serve sizes will not be used inappropriately to manipulate energy or nutrient content per serve.