Prime Minister Tony Abbott says any changes to country of origin food labelling will be "business-friendly" as the fallout from two food recalls continues.
The announcement follows the Patties berries voluntary recall with nineteen confirmed cases of hepatitis A now linked to frozen berries from China.
And last week, a batch of John Bull Tuna products were also recalled last week after four people contracted scombroid food poisoning at a Sydney café. The product was from Thailand and was imported into Australia by a Victorian company.
The Prime Minister has asked two ministers, Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, to present a country of origin food labelling reform proposal to Cabinet by the end of March.
After the Cabinet submission is made, the government would then introduce any necessary legislation into the parliament.
The new labelling is likely to take a pie chart or graduated symbol approach by using a diagram that shows how much of the product was grown and produced in Australia.
In the past, the increased costs of country of origin labelling has been cited as a key obstacle by food manufacturers, given that the make-up of a product can vary significantly depending on the season.
There is also a fear among local processors that that proposed regulatory changes will be tougher than those applied to wholly imported products, placing them at a disadvantage.
“Obviously, we want to do this in a way which is as cost effective as possible,” Abbott said last week. “We don't want to add needlessly to the burdens of business but we also do want to ensure that consumers get the information that they need and the public is protected. So, we will do it in the most business-friendly way.
“Now, the other thing that we have is an overall commitment to reduce the regulatory burden. We've committed to delivering at least a billion dollars a year in regulatory cost reductions to business and if there's a modest increase in regulatory costs in one area it's got to be more than compensated by a reduction in regulatory costs in another area.
“So, we'll ensure that overall, the regulatory burden on our businesses and on our people is continuing to reduce,” he said.
