Calls for across-the-board mandatory CoOL

The Australian Made Campaign has renewed calls for mandatory country-of-origin labelling (CoOL) on all food products after it was revealed that some unpackaged foods would not be required to carry country-of-origin labelling.

In 2011, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was instructed to develop a proposal to extend CoOL across all primary food products following the Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy in 2011. However, FSANZ has announced that mandatory CoOL would not be extended to unpackaged foods not already covered by the standard, including game meats, poultry other than chicken, eggs and cheese.

Ian Harrison, Australian Made Campaign chief executive, said that extending CoOL requirements to all foods would have reduced consumer confusion and promoted confidence in the system.

“Food labelling requirements should be clear, straightforward and above all consistent - all food, packaged or unpackaged, should be required to carry a country-of-origin label,” Harrison said.

“Why should fresh chicken, for example, have to carry a country-of-origin label, but not duck or quail? Why should sliced ham have to carry a country-of-origin label, but not sliced cheese?

“Consumers want to be able to buy with confidence, and a big part of this is knowing where their food comes from.”

Harrison says the impact on producers would be minimal, and some major retailers already voluntarily label these unpackaged foods.