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Renewed calls for country of origin labelling

Industry groups have called for better product labelling to highlight Australian-produced foods.

Roy Morgan research has indicated that consumers are “aware of the benefits of buying Aussie products, and of the impact that their purchasing behaviour has on jobs, local business and future opportunities,” the Herald Sun reports.

Apple and Pear Australia Limited industry services manager Anna Farrow said stronger labelling laws are necessary so that consumers can make informed decisions.

“The current ‘Made in Australia’ label can be a little confusing, if not outright misleading,” she said. “It can actually mean that all the ingredients are imported, and simply mixed or packaged in Australia.

“Worse, under current legislation ‘Made in Australia’ can be used in labelling processed fruit or juice if more than 50 percent of the value of the product is added in Australia, regardless of where the fruit comes from.”

Ritchies Supermarkets have rolled out Aussie-branded bays to highlight SPC Ardmona’s locally grown and made canned fruit and baked beans.

Coles and Woolworths said 96 percent of all fresh produce they sell is grown in Australia and Coles said its SmartBuy frozen vegetables and potato products are now 100 percent Australian grown.

Woolworths has teamed with SPC Ardmona to source Select brand tinned fruit and tomatoes. Its Select frozen vegetables will be 100 percent Australian-supplied by May.

Despite these efforts, $2 billion worth of foreign fruit, vegetables and nuts were imported last year.

The calls for clearer  country of origin labelling are amidst a push for labelling which helps consumers make healthier purchasing decisions. Last week, Monster Health Food Co became the first to introduce the Health Star Rating System, where processed foods are given a rating out of five stars based on their nutritional content. Products high in nutrition value receive more stars, while those foods lacking nutritional value have fewer stars.

Last week it was revealed that federal, state and territory governments committed $11 million to the Health Star Rating System before a cost benefit analysis was performed and despite being advised it didn’t comply with best practice guidelines.

 

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