The Australian Government says it will consult with industry and conduct in-depth consumer research ahead of the creation of country of origin labelling.
The Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane and Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce say they met with key food industry stakeholders in Sydney last week to discuss solutions that would inform consumers without imposing excessive costs on industry.
“During April and May we will consult closely with food manufacturers, retailers, agricultural producers and consumers and conduct national in-depth consumer research,” Minister Macfarlane said.
“We will also consult extensively with State and Territory Governments, whose co-operation will be essential to implement changes in a timely and cost-effective way.
“Part of our discussions will be about ways technology could be used to provide even more information to consumers about the food they buy without cluttering up labels – including apps shoppers can download onto their mobile phones and other devices.
“The bottom line is to give consumers the information they are calling out for, without imposing excessive costs on industry.”
Minister Joyce said: “Simple, diagrammatic information on a package will allow people to tell at a glance what proportion of the food in a package comes from Australia – and it must be compulsory."
“The Government is taking action on this issue now and will steadily work through the complex implementation process. Of course there will be a phase-in period to ensure Australian producers have time to adjust to new labelling requirements."
Consultations will include a series of roadshows for businesses and consumers in both metropolitan and regional centres and consumer market research.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) says Trade Minister Andrew Robb has a fundamental role to play in the discussions.
AFGC CEO Gary Dawson said that Minister Robb’s input is essential in order to ensure that changes to labelling rules do not result in breaching Australia’s existing international trade obligations and ensure that the nation's agri-food exports are not jeopardised.
“Much as been made of the opportunities for Australian agri-food exporters which will benefit Australia’s largest manufacturing sector in food and grocery. This sector will implement these Country of Origin reforms, which should assist the positive promotion of Aussie food in export markets.
"There must also be equivalent treatment for the labelling of food imports to ensure an across the board improvement in consumer information,” Dawson said.
