Seafood Industry Australia is calling for country of origin labelling to extend to foodservice to provide reassurance to consumers concerned about modern slavery.
While Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) CEO Jane Lovell says no Australian fisheries are subject to modern slavery, it has become more important to communicate how seafood has been caught, given 70 per cent of seafood eaten in Australia is imported.
“SIA is not interested in vilifying imported seafood… many international fisheries operate to the same high-standard as Australia’s fisheries,” she said.
“But if consumers are concerned and want to be 100 per cent sure their seafood has been caught in a sustainable way, free from forced labour, then they should seek out Australian seafood where possible - and push for more information about imported foods."
The mandatory Country of Origin Labelling laws, which came into effect in the retail sector at the beginning of July, provide consumers with clear information on where their food comes from, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions – but the new laws don’t apply to food sold in foodservice environments.
“What SIA wants to see is the ability for consumers to make informed purchasing decisions in both the retail and foodservice sectors,” Lovell said.
“With 70 per cent of the seafood consumed in Australia imported, this sort of information is critical. Right now, for food safety purposes, the supply chain of seafood is known in foodservice all the way to the coolroom door. However, the information is sadly often not passed on to the consumer.”
Research conducted for SIA found 66 per cent of foodservice staff couldn’t tell customers where the seafood they were serving was from.
