What goes on a beer label? The New Zealand rules
As long as you brew for yourself and your mates, what goes on the bottle is up to you. The label rules are in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which applies in New Zealand through the Food Act 2014 (note 2 to each standard). A few parts of the Code don't apply in New Zealand, but none of them is about beer labels (note 1 to section 1.1.1—3).
The Code applies to food that is sold, or processed or handled for sale (section 1.1.1—3), and "sell" is a broad word: it includes offering or displaying something for sale (note to section 1.1.2—2). Once you sell your beer – from the brewery, at a market or to a bottle store – the label has to follow the Code.
The label rules for packaged food apply to a retail sale, and also when you sell beer to a shop, bar or distributor as ready for retail sale without any further packaging or labelling (section 1.2.1—4). They attach to the sale (section 1.1.1—10(8)), and under the Food Act 2014 it is an offence to breach a requirement of the Code (note 2 to Division 4 of Standard 1.1.1).
A few sales need much less on the label: beer made and packaged on the premises where it is sold (your own brewery or taproom), beer packaged in front of the buyer, such as a growler fill, and beer sold at a fundraising event for a community or charitable cause (section 1.2.1—6(1)). Some information, including allergens, must then be displayed with the beer or given on request (section 1.2.1—9). The pregnancy warning still applies at your own premises and at fundraisers – see below.
This guide covers only the label. Whether you may brew and sell beer – licences, food business registration and excise – is a question for your local council and New Zealand Customs. Selling in Australia too? Australia adds country of origin, container deposit and trade measurement rules: see What goes on a beer label? The Australian rules.
The particulars at a glance
Everything required on the label must be in English (section 1.2.1—24).
| Particular | When it's needed | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the food | Always | Pale ale |
| Alcohol content | 0.5% alc/vol or more | 5% alc/vol |
| Standard drinks | Over 0.5% alc/vol | Contains approx. 1.3 standard drinks |
| Pregnancy warning | Over 1.15% alc/vol | The FSANZ pregnancy warning mark |
| Net contents | Always | 330 ml |
| Supplier's name and address | Always | Example Brewing, 1 Sample Street, Anytown 9999 |
| Lot identification | Always | Lot 26-142 |
| Best-before date | Unless it is two years or more away | Best Before Dec 2027 |
| Allergens | When the beer contains one (not the cereals) | Contains milk |
| Energy statement | From 13 August 2028 (optional until then) | ENERGY INFORMATION panel |
The name of the food
The brand of your beer is not its name. The label needs a name or description that is sufficient to indicate the true nature of the food (section 1.2.2—2), such as "Pale ale", "Lager" or "Stout".
If you sell something as beer – and that includes ale, lager, pilsener, porter and stout – it must be beer as the Code defines it (Standard 2.7.2): made with hops by yeast fermentation of a water extract of malted or unmalted cereals. During brewing you may add cereal products or other sources of carbohydrate, sugar, salt, and herbs and spices (section 1.1.2—3). Fruit isn't named in that list, so if you brew a fruit beer, ask MPI or your council how to name it.
The alcohol content
Over 1.15% alcohol, state the alcohol content as the percentage of alcohol by volume or in mL/100 mL (section 2.7.1—3(2)). The Code doesn't prescribe the exact words, so "5% alc/vol" does the job. The stated figure must be within 0.3% alc/vol of the real one for beer, cider and perry (section 2.7.1—3(4)).
At 1.15% or less, the Code asks for words to the effect "CONTAINS NOT MORE THAN X% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME" instead (section 2.7.1—3(3)).
Standard drinks
Beer with more than 0.5% alcohol needs a statement of the approximate number of standard drinks in the container (section 2.7.1—4). One standard drink is the amount that contains 10 grams of ethanol at 20 °C (section 1.1.2—2). Give the number to one decimal place, or to the nearest whole number above 10 standard drinks.
The sum is volume in litres × % alcohol × 0.789, where 0.789 is the specific gravity of ethanol – the same formula Australia's Northern Territory has written into its liquor law (Liquor Act 2019 (NT), section 5B).
| Container | Strength | Sum | On the label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 330 ml | 5.0% | 0.33 × 5.0 × 0.789 = 1.30 | 1.3 standard drinks |
| 440 ml | 5.5% | 0.44 × 5.5 × 0.789 = 1.91 | 1.9 standard drinks |
| 750 ml | 6.5% | 0.75 × 6.5 × 0.789 = 3.85 | 3.8 standard drinks |
The pregnancy warning
Packaged beer with more than 1.15% alcohol for retail sale in New Zealand must carry the pregnancy warning (sections 2.7.1—2 and 2.7.1—8); the transition period for this ended on 31 July 2023. The only exception is beer packaged in front of the buyer, such as a glass at the bar or a growler fill. According to FSANZ, the warning is needed even when the beer is made and packaged where it is sold, sold at a fundraising event or sold from a vending machine.
What you use depends on the volume of the container (sections 2.7.1—9 to 2.7.1—11):
| Container | Label | Pictogram | "PREGNANCY WARNING" | "Alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 ml or less | Pictogram only | At least 8 mm across | – | – |
| Over 200 ml, up to 800 ml | Mark | At least 6 mm | At least 2.1 mm | At least 1.6 mm |
| Over 800 ml | Mark | At least 9 mm | At least 2.8 mm | At least 2.1 mm |
| Outer pack of several containers | Mark | At least 11 mm | At least 3.5 mm | At least 2.7 mm |
Text size is measured from the base to the top of a letter (section 2.7.1—2). A six-pack needs the warning on the outer pack and on each can or bottle, unless the warning on each one can be clearly seen through the outer packaging, as with plastic rings (section 2.7.1—8).
The form is fixed (section 2.7.1—12): a white background, a red circle and strikethrough, a black silhouette, the signal words in red, bold, sans-serif capitals, the statement in black sans-serif sentence case, and a black border. Keep a clear space of at least 3 mm around the border, and show the warning as a whole and without modification. FSANZ adds that the colour of the clear space isn't prescribed, and that the warning can go anywhere on the label, including on a sticker. A post-printed corrugated cardboard carton holding more than one can or bottle may instead carry an all-black version on the colour of the board, with larger minimum sizes: pictogram 14 mm, signal words 4.4 mm and statement 3.4 mm (section 2.7.1—13).
You don't need to draw it yourself. FSANZ has the official artwork as EPS, JPEG and PDF files: type 1 for over 200 ml up to 800 ml, type 2 for over 800 ml, type 3 for outer packs and type 4, the pictogram, for 200 ml or less. Type 5 is the black version for corrugated cartons. The files use PMS 485, and FSANZ says other variations of red are permitted.
How big the text must be
The Code has no general minimum text size. Required words must be legible and prominent, so that they contrast distinctly with the background of the label, and any other language on the label – te reo Māori, for example – must not contradict the English (section 1.2.1—24). The 3 mm rule in section 1.2.1—25 is only for defined "warning statements", such as the one for royal jelly – none of them is about beer. The pregnancy warning has minimum sizes of its own.
Net contents
The label must show how much is in the container, and that part isn't in the Food Standards Code: in New Zealand, weights and measures declarations are regulated by Trading Standards New Zealand (FSANZ). The rules are in the Weights and Measures Regulations 1999:
- Every package of food must be marked with its net weight, volume or number of contents, whichever suits it best (regulation 79A) – for beer, the volume.
- State the volume in litres, decilitres, centilitres or millilitres, in one unit only, with decimals for parts of it: "330 ml" or "1.5 L" (regulation 79(1) and (2)). "ml", "mL", "l" and "L" are all allowed (Schedule 2).
- Put it in a prominent position and, as your label names the beer, close to that name (regulation 79(4)(a)).
- The letters and figures must be at least 2 mm high and in a colour that contrasts distinctly with the background (regulation 79(4)(b)). Only when the package is too small for that may they be smaller, as long as they are clear and legible (regulation 79(5)). Unlike in Australia, the minimum doesn't grow with the size of the container.
- The regulations give the forms "NET MEASURE 1.5 L", "NET 1.5 L" and "1.5 L", so "Net" is optional (regulation 79(4)(c)).
- An outer pack the customer takes home, such as a six-pack carton, must also give the total quantity, or the number of containers and the quantity in each, such as "6 x 330 ml" (regulation 79B). Packaging used only for transport and removed before the beer goes on sale is exempt.
Beer that isn't for retail sale, and beer sold at a fundraising event, doesn't have to be marked (regulation 79C). If you do mark it, the rules above still apply (regulation 80).
Not every container has to hold exactly what the label says. Under the average quantity system, a sample of containers from a lot must on average hold at least the stated volume, only a few may be short by more than a set amount – 3% for a 330 ml bottle, 15 ml for a 750 ml one – and none by more than twice that amount (Part 6A and Schedule 7A).
Name and address
The label needs the name and business address in New Zealand or Australia of a supplier – the packer, manufacturer, vendor or importer (sections 1.2.2—4 and 1.1.2—2). The business address is the street address, or a description of the location, of the premises the business operates from, so a PO Box isn't enough.
Lot and best before
Every label needs lot identification: a number or other information that identifies the premises where the beer was packed and the lot, a batch made under essentially the same conditions, ordinarily within no more than 24 hours (sections 1.2.1—8 and 1.1.2—2). A short code such as "Lot 26-142" is fine, as long as it identifies both.
Beer needs a best-before date, whatever its strength. Write "Best Before" followed by the date, or by where to find it on the label (section 1.2.5—5). If the date is more than three months away, the month and year are enough: "Best Before Dec 2027" or "Best Before 12 2027". The date can be left out if it would be two years or more after the day you set it (section 1.2.5—3(2)), so a barley wine built to age may not need one.
No ingredients list needed
Beer, cider, perry, mead and fruit wine don't need a statement of ingredients (section 1.2.4—2(3)). They do still need to declare allergens such as milk or nuts, but the cereals in beer are exempt. More in Allergens on a beer label in New Zealand. A nutrition information panel isn't needed either, unless you make a nutrition content or health claim – a "gluten free" claim on a drink doesn't count (sections 1.2.8—5 and 1.1.2—2).
No country of origin or deposit mark
New Zealand's country of origin rules for food don't cover beer. The Consumer Information Standards (Origin of Food) Regulations 2021 only apply to cured pork and to single-ingredient fruit, vegetables, fish, seafood and meat that is no more than minimally processed (Commerce Commission). If you do say where the beer is from, it has to be true: a false or misleading claim about where goods come from is an offence under section 13(j) of the Fair Trading Act 1986.
The Food Standards Code doesn't ask for a container deposit mark either. The "10c refund" mark you see on Australian cans comes from Australia's state and territory schemes, which cover drinks sold there.
New Zealand has looked at a container return scheme of its own. A Cabinet paper from November 2022 is titled "Agreement to implement a New Zealand Container Return Scheme", but in 2024 the Ministry for the Environment's briefings to the Government still spoke of "the option of a container return scheme for New Zealand" (Ministry for the Environment, OIA response OIAD-1369, November 2024). Check with the Ministry before you print, in case that has changed.
"Low alcohol" and other words
Beer over 1.15% alcohol must not be presented as a low alcohol beverage (section 2.7.1—5), and over 0.5% the label must not say "non intoxicating" or anything similar (section 2.7.1—6). The Code sets no threshold for "non-alcoholic" or "alcohol-free": it only says that a food containing alcohol must not be presented as a non-alcoholic beverage (section 2.7.1—7). Ask MPI or your council before using those words on a beer with any alcohol in it.
Over 1.15%, the only nutrition content claims allowed are about energy, carbohydrate, sugar and gluten, and health claims aren't allowed at all (section 1.2.7—4).
The energy statement
On 13 August 2025 the Code added an energy statement – a small "ENERGY INFORMATION" panel with the number of servings, the serving size, the kilojoules per serving and per 100 ml and the standard drinks per serving – for beer, cider and other packaged alcoholic drinks (sections 2.7.1—4A to 2.7.1—4C). Until 13 August 2028 beer may be sold with or without it, and beer packaged and labelled before that date can still be sold without it afterwards. FSANZ has an energy content calculator to help.
With Brewlabel, the labelling check in Plus works out the standard drinks figure and checks it, places FSANZ's pregnancy warning at the size your container needs, checks that the volume figures are at least 2 mm tall, and checks best before, lot and a New Zealand or Australian address. You remain responsible for the label.
Last checked: 21 October 2026
This guide explains labelling and is not legal advice. Rules can change – if you sell your drink, check with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) or your local council.
Sources
- Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Federal Register of Legislation): Standard 1.1.1 · Standard 1.1.2, definitions · Standard 1.2.1 · Standard 1.2.2 · Standard 1.2.4 · Standard 1.2.5 · Standard 1.2.7 · Standard 1.2.8 · Standard 2.7.1, labelling of alcoholic beverages · Standard 2.7.2, beer
- Liquor Act 2019 (NT), section 5B, as in force at 31 August 2026 (Northern Territory Legislation)
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Pregnancy warning labels – design elements and downloadable labels · Labelling of alcoholic beverages · Truth in labelling, weights and measures and legibility · Proposal P1059 – Energy labelling on alcoholic beverages · Alcohol energy content calculator
- Weights and Measures Regulations 1999 (SR 1999/373), reprint as at 1 March 2016 (New Zealand Legislation): regulations 79 to 80, Part 6A, Schedules 2 and 7A
- Ministry for the Environment, response to an Official Information Act request, OIAD-1369 (27 November 2024)
- Commerce Commission: Country of origin of food · Country of origin FAQs