New Australian country-of-origin labelling 'doesn’t go far enough'

By RJ Whitehead

- Last updated on GMT

New Australian country-of-origin labelling 'doesn’t go far enough'

Related tags Australia Greenhouse gas

Australia’s new country-of-origin food labels are a good start, though there is plenty of scope to go even further, according to a leading food systems specialist.   

The labelling reforms, which came into effect at the start of July, have been designed to make it easier for consumers to find out where their food comes from. 

The new bar chart under an “Australian Made” kangaroo logo, along with a legend, is supposed to make it clearer to find where an item has been produced, grown, made or packed.

But the labelling still offers scope to provide more information to consumers, said Bill Bellotti of Queensland University.

Australians have the right to information on environmental impacts, ethical consequences and the sustainability of their food choices​,” Prof. Bellotti said.

The new food labels are a direct response to public concerns after the imported frozen berries scandal, but the government also needs to consider not just how the foods we eat are impacting our personal health but also on the health of the planet​.”

Last year, country-of-origin labelling was put in the spotlight after berries picked in China and packed in Australia were said to be behind a spate of hepatitis cases. It was later found that they were not the cause of the outbreak.  

Our food choices are responsible for 70% of fresh water use, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the large majority of land use​,” Prof. Bellotti added. 

The way we eat determines to a large extent how the earth’s resources are used. Small changes in our diet can have big benefits for our health and for the health of the planet​.”

Citing a growing global trend for consumers to demand more information about what they are eating, Prof. Bellotti said that the easiest way to source this information is often from food labels.

Most people don’t have time to read a long and complicated message, so a good label is clear and has the impact to change the way people shop at the point of purchase​.”

Researchers believe that Australians have been grappling with food labelling for decades, but with mixed success.

A study into the National Heart Foundation’s “Tick​” label suggests that consumers do not want health labels that can be purchased by food manufacturers, he said.

He also believes that it is vital that Australian food exporters stay ahead of innovative labelling trends to ensure they can exploit lucrative international markets.

Related topics Policy Oceania Food safety

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1 comment

Buy Australia?? You're kidding.

Posted by Michael Taylor,

Buy Australian.. and in doing so almost always buy the most expensive of equivalent products the world over.
Why 'buy Australian' when you can source the same from a country in the region with the highest cost of living in the world (EU) AND have it shipped all the way AND Duty paid, and it still cost less than the 'Australian made' equivalent?
Why reward someone who is gouging you so much so their product is more expensive than the equivalent produced in the most expensive region of the world and shipped all the way and Duty paid?
It's a joke, right?
Or perhaps they're not, perhaps the AU supplier is just so darn inefficient and hopeless that they have so charge such a high price just to stay afloat?
Again, why support such a business?
Nationalism is not a reason to support such a proposition.

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