Remember the roo: It’s time to have your say on food labelling

A variation of the iconic green-and-gold kangaroo logo is one of six graphics consumers are being asked to choose from in a survey as part of the Government's research into its proposal for a new mandatory country-of-origin symbol for all Australian food products.

The survey, which was opened by the Federal Ministers for Industry and Agriculture, Ian Macfarlane and Barnaby Joyce at 8am this morning, can be found at www.industry.gov.au/CoOL.

“We have been lobbying for clarity and consistency in food labelling for years now, and worked with the Government on the current proposal,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said.

“We strongly support action on food labelling and welcome the opportunity for consumers to have their say on the best system moving forward.

“There are three decades of understanding behind the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo, which is recognised by 98% of Australians, and trusted by 88% to identify genuine Aussie products and produce – we hope consumers will remember the roo and take a common-sense approach to voting.”

The Australian Made Campaign, the not-for-profit organisation that administers and promotes the kangaroo logo, is calling on consumers to 'remember the roo' and back the symbol that has been backing Aussie industry and Aussie jobs for the past three decades.

The rules for using the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo on food products are currently more stringent than the rules for making country-of-origin claims under Australian Consumer Law. The Australian Made Campaign has been lobbying for that gap to be closed, and for an education program to be rolled out to help increase understanding of country-of-origin claims and the value proposition of buying Australian made and Australian grown products.