New labelling follows frozen berry debacle

Consumers can expect to see new country of origin food labels on products by the year’s end. He noted that such businesses were already required to carry country of origin labels but that this was “not always enforced”.

SYDNEY, July 21 Australia will introduce mandatory country-of-origin food labelling from 2016, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Tuesday, a move given impetus by a hepatitis outbreak earlier in the year blamed on contaminated berries from China.

“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.

The acronym COOL is being used for the new food standard, but some people don’t think it quite deserves that status.

Under the plan, consumers will be able to discover the percentage of food ingredients made in Australia.

Domestically produced products will have a green and gold kangaroo logo, alongside a bar chart showing the proportions of ingredients coming from Australia.

Companies will be “encouraged” to provide additional information identifying the origin of key ingredients, with digital options also in development, regulators added.

The Australian government said: “The new labels will be easy for shoppers to identify. What we are on about today is substantially adding to consumer information”. “Across all products and also other manufactured goods there is actually a saving”.

Mr Abbott said Australians are set to benefit from clearer, simpler information about where products come from via a new system that will begin to appear on supermarket shelves later this year.

The Australian government said claims would include, for example: “made in Australia from 100% Australian ingredients; packed in Australia, made in Canada; or made in Australia from Australian carrots and French peas”.

“Unfortunately the new system leaves it up to the manufacturers to voluntarily declare the origin of a product’s main ingredient”. Consumer advocate group Choice agreed the labels did not go far enough, and it was concerned recent global trade agreements could be behind the decision to “deny consumers the full picture”.

The definition of “Made in Australia” will be clarified.