Commenced in 1 July, hospitality businesses across Australia must identify the country of origin of the seafood they serve under new mandatory country of origin labelling (CoOL) requirements.
The new rules extend country of origin labelling beyond supermarkets and food retailers to restaurants, cafés, pubs, clubs, hotels, takeaway outlets, food trucks and market stalls.
The reforms, announced by the Australian government last year following industry and public consultation, are intended to give consumers clearer information about the seafood they purchase when dining out or ordering takeaway.
Under the new information standard, hospitality businesses must indicate whether seafood is Australian, imported or a mix of both before customers place an order.
The system, known as the AIM model, requires seafood to be labelled as Australian (A), Imported (I) or Mixed (M). The information must be clearly displayed on printed or digital menus, menu boards or signage within the venue.
The requirements apply to seafood sold for dine in, takeaway and delivery.
Businesses have been given a 12 month transition period to prepare for the changes. Compliance will be enforced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission together with state and territory Australian Consumer Law regulators. Businesses that fail to comply may face penalties under consumer law.
“For almost a decade consumers have had the right to know the country of origin when they shop for seafood at the supermarket, but it’s been a mystery when they dine out or get take-away,” said commerce minister Dr Tony Buti.
“I’ve been proud to support this change because I know it will help showcase the quality of Australia’s seafood industry and help build customer trust.
“The WA government remains committed to supporting the industry and ensuring Western Australian consumers have clear information about where their seafood comes from.”
The introduction of mandatory seafood country of origin labelling brings hospitality into line with existing retail labelling requirements and is intended to provide consumers with consistent information regardless of where they purchase seafood.
