Review on country-of-origin labelling as focus shifts to Aussie-made

Australia’s country-of-origin labelling system, which shows how much of a product contains Aussie ingredients, is under review.

More people than ever are seeking out Australian-made goods.

AUSTRALIA’s country-of-origin labelling system is under review, as more people than ever are seeking out Aussie-made goods.

The labelling system – which applies to most foods and includes a bar graph showing how much of a product contains Australian ingredients – was introduced in 2018, in a bid to make it easier for shoppers to spot locally made or grown foods.

Australian country-of-origin food label.

Industry Minister Karen Andrews said the legislated review was aimed at seeing if the system was working as planned.

“It is particularly timely as COVID-19 has seen a groundswell in support for Australian-made food,” Ms Andrews said in a statement.

“This is about making sure consumers are being given the tools they need to make an informed choice, without crippling Australian businesses with unreasonable and expensive labelling expectations.”

The Weekly Times reported last month that consumer visits to the Australian Made website tripled in the last quarter, hitting 300,000 visits in June.

Business applications to use the green-and-gold kangaroo logo – which also features as part of the country-of-origin labelling – also increased five-fold, from an average 60 applications each month to more than 300.

THE WEEKLY TIMES DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER SURVEY

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said it was important to make it as simple as possible for Australians to buy Australian, without adding undue pressure on business.

“When consumers buy Australian goods, they aren’t just supporting those manufacturers, but also our farmers, truck drivers and regional communities more broadly,” Minister Littleproud said.

A discussion paper and survey are now open for public consultation until September 11. The review is expected to be complete mid-2021.