Food biz bosses from Norco, Sanitarium, SPC, Mayvers, and Sunshine Sugar in ‘Aussie-owned’ labelling push

Do you know where the money from your food shopping goes? The bosses of iconic Australia businesses like Norco are calling for country of origin food labelling. Find out more.

A bumper September sugarcane crop of 860,000 tonnes from northern NSW growers has prompted a push for country of origin food labelling.

Research by Northern Rivers dairy coop Norco found more than half of consumers were guided by the Australian Made logo. 81 per cent bought Aussie-made products they believed were from Aussie-owned businesses, but they were actually produced by foreign companies.

Norco, Sanitarium, SPC, Mayvers, and Sunshine Sugar have banded together to raise awareness of Australian ownership declaring “Australian-made is good, but Australian-made and owned is great”.

Sanitarium has joined the charge.

“That’s the conversation we want to start,” Sunshine Sugar chief executive officer Chris Connors said.

The bumper cane crop comes after 150-year celebrations at the Harwood Sugar Mill in August. More than 8000 attended to show their support and enjoy a day out.

Sunshine Sugar directly employs about 400 people and results in the indirect jobs of about 1200, pumping more than $250 million into the local economy each year.

Mayvers chief executive officer Bethaney George backs the campaign.

The research by Norco also found inflation was causing households to fork out up to $1.64 billion more in monthly groceries, with many changing the way they shopped to save money.

Still, 30 per cent of those involved in the research were prepared to pay more to back Australian businesses and producers.

Norco CEO Michael Hampson. Picture: Supplied

CEO Norco Michael Hampson said “what’s clear from the research is if we want to protect what’s left of our iconic and authentically Australian brands, there needs to be a greater conversation and further education around the difference between Australian made and Australian owned.”

“56 per cent of shoppers look for the Australian Made logo to inform their selection, with only one in 10 consumers doing their own research to make fully informed decisions,” he said.

Todd Saunders, Sanitarium Health Food Company executive general manager said consumers who buy Australian-owned make an investment in local jobs and economies.

“The big difference with authentically Australian brands and products – those that are both Australian-made and 100 per cent Australian-owned – is that the money remains here in Australia and is not siphoned offshore.”

In the research, almost 73 per cent said they believed country of ownership information should be included on food labels.

A Northern Rivers dairy farm.

Mr Hampson said “the fact remains that many household brands we all grew up with are sadly no longer Australian owned”.

“So clearer labelling could be beneficial in helping to combat this widespread shopper confusion,” he said.

The group of Aussie food bosses recommend consumers use the Bring Back Australia App to identify Australian-owned brands with a barcode scan.

Mr Conners said tools like the app were a “step in the right direction” to aid consumers.

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