Update on country of origin labelling

Food

The new financial year is fast approaching and with that comes changes to food labelling laws. From 1 July 2016, a new country of origin information panel will be introduced, which will be compulsory for most Australian food products. The panel will feature the iconic green and gold Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) kangaroo logo.

As a result the Australian Made Campaign (AMCL) will no longer be able to license new food products to use the logo. Businesses will have a two-year period to transition to the new labels, with the system to become mandatory on 1 July 2018.

Information about the new mandatory country of origin information panel can be found at www.business.gov.au/foodlabels.

For all other types of products the AMCL will continue to administer and promote the AMAG logo as a country of origin certification trade mark and the process for obtaining a licence to use the logo will remain the same.

Changes to the ‘safe harbours’ on hold 

The impending changes to Australia's food labelling laws will have an impact on all businesses making products in Australia, because as part of its reform package, the Government is also reviewing the provisions of the Australian Consumer Law which relate to country of origin claims. In particular it is considering the removal of the 50% value add test for ‘made in’ claims. New guidelines are also being developed around the concept of ‘substantial transformation’.

The Competition and Consumer Amendment (Country of Origin) Bill 2016 was introduced to the Parliament on 4 May 2016 to amend the safe harbour defences under Australian Consumer Law. As the Bill was not passed before the 2016 Federal Election was called, it can no longer be considered by Parliament. Reintroduction of the Bill after the election will depend on the legislative priorities of the incoming government.

We will keep you up to date with any developments in this area and updates will also be included on our website www.australianmade.com.au. If you have any questions or concerns about your licence, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 1800 350 520 or by email info@australianmade.com.au.