Horticulture industry body AUSVEG is urging fast food outlets to adopt the new country of origin labelling (CoOL) system in light of issues with imported produce.
The Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud MP recently wrote to fast food outlets inviting them to discuss the idea of voluntarily displaying country of origin information to tell consumers more about where their food comes from.
CoOL laws came into effect on 1 July 2016, and the labels will become mandatory on all food products sold in retail stores from 1 July 2018. However, some food products are exempt, including food sold for immediate consumption at fast food outlets and cafes.
“Australian consumers prefer to purchase locally grown food and they have a right to know where their food comes from," AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside said.
"While the new country of origin labels provide more information to consumers about their food, the new system’s impact is lessened by not being applied equally across all food groups.
“The inconsistent, two-tiered approach to the new labelling is problematic for consumers, but if the fast food industry can get on board and agree to voluntarily display these labels on their food products, it would be a decisive affirmation of the right of Australian consumers to make more informed decisions about the food they buy.
“This is a good time to have a conversation as to why our industry is so susceptible to competition from processing vegetable imports.
“If our growers aren’t able to be cost-competitive with imported produce in an open market, and if this is driving food producers to look overseas for their ingredients, then all stakeholders need to consider how we can work together to help our growers supply Australian consumers with the locally grown food they’re after.”
