Technical reference
Labels and date marks are law, and the wrong one is a question. Shelf life is different: law asks for a date, but mostly leaves the number to the business, which has to be able to show it. So keep law, guidance and your own decisions apart, and know which one each date rests on.
Some bacteria grow at refrigerated temperatures, so a cold food can reach a level that makes people sick. Others, such as Clostridium botulinum, grow where there is no air, which is why vacuum-packed food must be refrigerated or frozen.
Parameters
| Label language | English in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Bahasa Malaysia for food produced in Malaysia, and Bahasa Malaysia or English for imports |
|---|---|
| Lot mark | Required in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore (Singapore since 30 January 2026) |
| Allergens, Australia and New Zealand | Schedule 9 names, bold in the ingredient list, plus a "Contains" summary |
| Allergens, Singapore | 8 groups: gluten cereals, crustacea, egg, fish, peanuts and soybeans, milk, tree nuts, sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more |
| Allergens, Malaysia | 5 groups: gluten cereals, nuts including peanut and soybean, fish, milk, egg |
| Date mark size | Singapore: letters at least 3 mm high. Malaysia: bold capitals, non-serif, at least 6 point |
| Supplying a caterer, Australia and New Zealand | Name, lot, , date mark, and storage and use directions, plus anything the caterer asks for to meet the Code |
| Supplying another business, New Zealand template | Say how to keep the food and how long it can be kept. Don't change the pack or label for a customer without changing your registration |
| Chilled shelf life, guidance | : 5 days at 5 °C or colder unless longer is shown. catering code: 5 days at 4 °C, counting the day of cooking and the day of consumption |
| Catered meals, Singapore | Each pack is labelled "FOOD ON (date) AT (time). CONSUME BY (date) AT (time).", within 4 hours in total at 5 to 60 °C |
| Malaysia, voluntary | Trust MyCatering expects preparation and expiry dates on packed catered food, though the law doesn't list these meals |
| If a date can't be shown | Shorten it to what the evidence supports, or stop selling the product |
Records that prove it
- Label specification and approved artwork, by version and market
- Recipe and specification behind each declaration
- Shelf-life study: recipe, pack, storage, method, result
- Revalidation after each change
- Secondary shelf-life table, with the reason for each line
- Held, corrected and discarded stock, with quantity
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.