Country of origin food labels coming: PM

The Government has approved new country of origin food labels, but it still needs state and territory support to put the changes in place.

“It is really a very simple and straightforward initiative”, Mr Abbott told reporters.

The food labels would be on shelves on a voluntary basis by the end of the year, and would be in place properly by mid-2016, Tony Abbott said.

Abbott said companies would be encouraged to go further and identify the origin of key ingredients.

The green and gold triangle design was the overwhelming preference of more than 17,800 respondents to the government’s food labelling community survey.

The definition of “Made in Australia” will be clarified. Importing ingredients and simply slicing them will no longer qualify for a “made in” claim.

The industry group, Ausveg, said the new labelling system was a good first step, but that it ultimately fell short.

The frozen berries hepatitis scare earlier this year triggered the Government pledge to revisit food labelling.

“The proposed introduction of a diagram indicating the level of Australian and imported ingredients on products manufactured here will mean the only originating country outlined will be Australia”, deputy chief executive Andrew White said.

The labelling will become mandatory from 2016 and there will be a phase-in transition period for small business.

In April, Barnaby Joyce gave his strongest indication that new CoOL rules would be introduced by the Coalition.

The hepatitis A outbreak in February involved berries grown in China and packed there in a factory where poor hygiene and tainted water may have caused the health problems.

Mr Abbott said however it would not prevent potential outbreaks of diseases.

“Every now and then in your political career you get a chance to deliver on an agenda you’ve been fighting for, for ages, and food labelling is one of mine”, he said.

Producers are increasingly emphasising their Australian credentials.

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane lamented his frustrations as a former peanut farmer that his nuts were marketed as the meaningless: “Made in Australia from local or imported peanuts”.