Made in Australia vs Made in China

In light of the recent hepatitis A outbreak that was linked to frozen berries from China, it’s no wonder that the proportion of Australians who are more likely to buy food labelled ‘Made in Australia’ increased from 85 to 88% over the last two years.

In comparison, only 6% of Australians say they’d be more likely to buy food labelled ‘Made in China’. This proportion has remained virtually unchanged from 2013, according to new research from Roy Morgan.

These two groups of consumers have very different attitudes to food, the research showed, with those more likely to purchase Chinese food products being less concerned about whether food is fattening, genetically modified or free of additives. They are also more likely to buy frozen or chilled ready-made meals and takeaway food, and to avoid dairy products.

Interestingly, Australian consumers under the age of 35 are much less likely to buy a food product labelled ‘Made in China’ than their older counterparts. Despite this, food labelled as Australian made is still far more popular overall.

“We’ve been aware for some time that younger Australians tend to be more open to buying products made in countries other than Australia. Growing up in the digital age, they are used to having the international marketplace at their fingertips, courtesy of online retailers,” said Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research.

“Of course, where someone was born has some bearing on their attitudes to goods manufactured in different countries, and our data shows that Aussies who were born in Asia are more likely than those born in Australia to buy food products labelled ‘Made in China’. However, the vast majority of Asian-born Australians are still more likely to buy food made in Australia.

“It will be interesting to see whether attitudes to Chinese-manufactured food products shift in the wake of the recent Hepatitis scare caused by frozen berries imported from China. Certainly, the call for clearer country-of-origin food labelling has never been more relevant.”