Have your say on the proposed changes to food labelling laws as the Government looks to provide greater clarity around where our food comes from.
Consumers have called for greater clarity around the origin of the food they buy so they can make more informed purchasing decisions. The Australian Government and state and territory governments are addressing the long-standing issue around food labelling.
The proposed changes to food labelling include:
- using the Australian made logo on food made, produced or grown in Australia
- displaying proportion of local ingredients on Australian food with a bar chart and text for most food
- simplifying the rules for using certain origin statements for food and non-food products
- placing country of origin statements on imported food in a box and clarifying claims.
These improvements would be supported by an education campaign on the changes targeting business and consumers and encouraging businesses to offer additional digital information solutions.
Businesses say that the current rules and regulations are difficult to use and they sometimes don’t know what they can say about their product.
Businesses say that the current rules and regulations are difficult to use and they sometimes don’t know what they can say about their product. As a result many provide minimal information on labels to ensure they comply with existing laws.
The ultimate aim is to deliver more reliable information to consumers and provide greater certainty for business, so they feel confident providing as much information as possible about the origin and make-up of their products.
You can have your say on the potential impacts of changing Australia’s country of origin labelling framework during the consultation period on the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS). The Consultation RIS examines the advantages, disadvantages and costs of potential improvements to the country of origin labelling framework.
The Consultation RIS is available for feedback from 4 December 2015, and feedback must be received by the department by 5pm AEST 29 January 2016. To have your say visit the consultation hub.
