Country-of-origin labelling extended for unpackaged meat

The Australian Made Campaign has welcomed the decision by Federal and State Government Ministers to approve the recommendation put forward by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to extend country of origin labelling to unpackaged beef, sheep and chicken meat in Australia.

Australian Made has been campaigning for tougher food labelling laws for some time now, including submissions to the independent review of food labelling law and policy in 2010/11 which prompted FSANZ’s recommendation.

The ruling will require businesses to display a single sign for Australian-produced meat products, while imported products will need to be specifically labelled.        

Australian Made Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said such an extension would be a big win for consumers and industry alike.

“Consumers want to be given clear and consistent information in order to make informed choices and this extension is another step towards more coherent country of origin labelling for all food products”, he said.

Research* demonstrates that Australians have a clear preference for buying Australian Grown produce.

The vast majority of Australians (89%) feel very strongly that the fresh food they buy is Australian and an equally significant proportion (82%) are as avid that the processed food they buy is Australian as well.

The green-and-gold Australian Grown logo is the best way for producers and retailers to leverage this sentiment and fulfil the new requirements.

“A staggering 98% of shoppers recognise the logo and 88% of shoppers look for the logo to authenticate genuine Aussie produce,” Mr Harrison said.

“Consumers consciously look for the logo to authenticate produce as Australian.

“We encourage producers and retailers to use the logo aggressively at point-of-sale, placing it clearly and visibly on products and promotional materials to assist shoppers in making their purchase decisions.”

*Roy Morgan Research