Australian agricultural industries have teamed up in a strategy to push for food to be more clearly labelled so consumers can easily choose Australian grown food.
Peak representative bodies including AUSVEG, Australian Pork Limited, Australian Prawn Farmers Association, Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, Apple and Pear Australia, and Horticulture Australia Council have united in the PR push for better labelling.
It’s part of a strategy by the groups to raise the profile of the issue ahead of an October meeting of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand where the Country of Origin labelling laws will be on the agenda.
The producers say the current labelling system does guarantee the product’s country of origin is clear. They want food labels on both packaged and unpackaged goods, such as deli meat displays, to be displayed prominently stating clearly what country it is from and large enough for consumers to absorb at a glance.
AUSVEG chief executive officer, Euan Laird, said that Australian-grown remained a strong brand in its own right and that clear labelling gave Australian producers the opportunity to take advantage of that.
“Australian-grown has strong attributes of taste and quality in consumer’s minds. Better labelling allows us to really promote the benefits of the brand, it allows us to build up a strong package around our product,” he said.
The push comes as both Coles and Woolworths have launched multi-million advertising campaigns promoting the high level of Australian produce in their supermarkets.
