Country of origin labelling gets the go-ahead

The states and territories have given the green light to the federal government’s reforms to country of origin food labelling, giving Australian consumers clearer and more meaningful information about the products they buy.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Christopher Pyne, congratulated their state and territory colleagues for passing the reforms.

“This is an issue that has vexed governments on both sides for many years and today is a major breakthrough Australians have long been waiting for,” Pyne said.

“The new food labelling system will provide Australian consumers with the clarity they deserve, without imposing an overly onerous burden on businesses.”

Many foods found on Australian retail shelves will be required to include a kangaroo in a triangle logo to indicate the food is made, produced or grown in Australia. The new system will also include a bar chart, indicating the proportion of Australian ingredients.

“Australian consumers should be able to trust that claims such as ‘Made in’ and ‘Product of’ are applied consistently — and the new system will ensure that’s the case,” Joyce said.

“Australians want to know whether the product is from our nation or another, and if a mix of the two, what proportion is from our nation.”

Vegetable industry body AUSVEG welcomed the agreement, with CEO Richard Mulcahy describing it as “an encouraging step forward”.

“After many years of campaigning for effective reforms that eliminate ambiguous and deceptive labelling terminology, AUSVEG is pleased that the state departments have maximised the opportunity to come together and support the federal government’s proposed reforms.

“Market research has shown that Australian consumers are desperate for a clearer indication of where the food they are buying comes from, as confusing statements such as ‘Made from local and imported ingredients’ left them none the wiser about a product’s real origin,” said Mulcahy.

“Although the proposed system does not offer a complete solution to these issues, AUSVEG recognises that it is an encouraging step forward to provide consumers with more transparent, informative labelling on the foods they buy.”

With the introduction of the reforms, the enhanced country of origin labelling requirements will move from the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to Australian Consumer Law.

Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer said the government has provided the ACCC with additional funding of $4.2 million over five years to undertake compliance and enforcement activities in relation to the new requirements.

The reforms will be introduced from 1 July with labels expected to appear in retail outlets later this year.