Blog
Calm, sourced writing on choosing baby products in Australia.
13 November 2026
Sterilised honey on a baby food label
What "sterilised honey" on an Australian baby-food label means under the Food Standards Code, and why a pack for 12 months and over falls outside it.
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6 November 2026
Lot code versus date mark
A packaged food carries a lot identification and a date mark. All twelve FSANZ recall alerts on page one on 31 October 2026 named stock by date mark.
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3 November 2026
What "10% of the RDI" means on baby food
"10% of the RDI" on baby food is measured against a lower figure than the Code's general column. Iron is the odd one out beside toddler foods. The arithmetic.
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27 October 2026
Three sodium ceilings, one infant food standard
Standard 2.9.2 sets three sodium ceilings for food for infants: 350, 300 and 100 mg per 100 g. Here is what each covers, and two words the definitions standard leaves undefined.
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23 October 2026
Why two milk cartons name two different ages
Low-fat milk says "under 2 years", an almond drink "under 5". The Code's test reads the panel; FSANZ and NHMRC explain why the lines exist.
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29 September 2026
The same additive, written two ways
What the number in brackets after a food additive declares under the Food Standards Code, and why 1442, 407 and 415 aren't all on the same list.
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22 September 2026
The button-battery warning nobody has to follow
Australia runs four button-battery standards. The warning printed on a toy is only a recommendation, the real requirements sit elsewhere.
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18 September 2026
Baby cereal's 100 g figure is mostly water
A baby cereal's nutrition panel measures the food after you add water, not the powder in the pack, what the Code requires, and what's left to the brand.
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15 September 2026
Read the words before the number
"Made in Australia" and "Packed in Australia" mean different things under Australian law, what each one requires, and what the percentage next to it doesn't tell you.
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11 September 2026
The condition behind every use-by date
What "Use By" and "Best Before" mean under Australian food law, why only one date bans a sale, and what covers a pack once it's opened.
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8 September 2026
Why one baby cereal warns and the other doesn't
Australian baby food age labels explained: what "4+ months" and "6+ months" mean under Standard 2.9.2, and why one pack warns and the other doesn't.
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4 September 2026
The standard behind four separate toy recalls
Four AU toy recalls in August 2026 all cite one mandatory standard, the checkable fault, what's untested, and the unusual cut-and-photograph refund step.
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1 September 2026
What "natural flavour" covers on an Australian baby food pack
Two words on a Farex pouch, Natural Flavour: one is the legal minimum, one is optional, and the Code exempts most of what's underneath.
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28 August 2026
'May contain' on a baby food label in Australia: which part is law
'May contain' on a baby food label isn't law. Australia's mandatory allergen rules cover a different line, what FSANZ and ASCIA require, with two real AU packs.
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25 August 2026
How to check if your baby's toy has been recalled in Australia
How to check if a baby toy or product has been recalled in Australia, what an ACCC recall notice lists, using a real 2026 toy recall as the worked example.
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21 August 2026
Percentage labelling on a baby food pouch: what the brackets mean
"Apple (60%), Sweet Potato (25%), Carrot (15%)", what percentage labelling on an Australian baby food pouch is legally required to tell you, in seconds.
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18 August 2026
"No added sugar" on baby food pouches, what it means, and why 59% of them say it
"No added sugar" on an Australian baby food pouch is a labelling claim, not a nutrition summary. What the ingredients list and WHO's free-sugars definition actually tell you.
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11 August 2026
How to read a baby food ingredient list in Australia
What Australian food labels actually require on a baby food ingredient list, and what's still voluntary, like 'may contain traces of.'
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3 August 2026
What are HiMOs? FSANZ just approved five for Australian infant formula
FSANZ approved five human-identical milk oligosaccharides for Australian infant formula in June 2026. What the approval actually permits, and what it does not prove.
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1 August 2026
Baby product recalls: July 2026
Nine of last month's Australian recalls involve babies and toddlers, and three come down to the same hazard. What was recalled, and what to do.
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19 July 2026
What Peeka's four grades actually mean
HIGHLY SUITABLE, GENERALLY OK, USE WITH CAUTION, AVOID, how to read a Peeka result, and why we never use absolute words.
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