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Glazing agents

(May 2021)

Glazing agents are a type of food additive used to coat the outside of food to give it a shiny appearance and/or a protective coating that can extend shelf life. They are typically used on fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery products, chocolate, chewing gum and other confectionary products.

Glazing agents include vegetable oils or animal fats (471) and waxes such as beeswax (901), shellac (904) and carnauba wax (903).

Before any food additive can be used in food sold in Australia and New Zealand, they must be assessed for safety and approved by FSANZ.

As part of the safety assessment, we make sure there is a sound technical reason for their use and that the levels are safe and suitable for food.

Labelling of glazing agents

If you want to know more about a food additive, including glazing agents, look at the ingredient list on the food label for the additive's function and name or number, e.g. glazing agent (471).

We have a list of approved food additives to help you identify food additives as you shop.

Recent approvals by FSANZ

We recently approved an extension of use of the food additive mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (INS 471) as a glazing agent on fruits and vegetables.

This food additive is sourced from vegetable oils and animal fats. It has a long history of safe use as an emulsifier for use in many foods, however there was no permission for its use as a coating for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Our assessment found this additive to be safe and suitable as a glazing agent and will help extend shelf life and reduce food wastage.

Page last updated 6 December 2023