CoOL consultations underway

Consultations and consumer research are underway to deliver clearer and more consistent country of origin labelling (CoOL) for food sold in Australia, the government has announced.

The government aims to develop a CoOL system that gives consumers the information they need without imposing excessive costs on the industry, according to Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry and Science, and Barnaby Joyce, Minister for Agriculture.

The ministers met with key food industry stakeholders in Sydney to discuss the next steps in developing a food labelling system that is clear and easy to understand.

“During April and May we will consult closely with food manufacturers, retailers, agricultural producers and consumers, and conduct national in-depth consumer research,” Macfarlane said.

The discussions will also cover ways that technology can be used to communicate information to consumers without overloading labels with information, including mobile phone and tablet apps.

“We hear clearly that consumers want more information about where their food has been grown and processed. I’ve received in the order of 26,000 emails and about 150 personally written letters asking us to make improvements to country of origin labelling, and more than a million Australians visited my website in response to the government’s announcement,” said Joyce.

“Current labelling in many instances is misleading and people have a right not to be misled about the origins of the food they buy. Simple, diagrammatic information on a package will allow people to tell at a glance what proportion of the food in a package comes from Australia - and it must be compulsory.”

Joyce said there will be a phase-in period to give Australian producers time to adjust to the new system. A working group of Ministers representing sectors including industry, agriculture, small business, health and trade will develop the government’s position on improvements that do not impose excessive costs on industry.

Consultations will include a series of roadshows for businesses and consumers in both metropolitan and regional centres and consumer market research.

For more information about the consultation and consumer research, visit www.industry.gov.au/cool.