As of 1st July, the new food labelling system will commence under Australian Consumer Law and applies to food offered for retail sale in stores, markets, online or from vending machines. The system will be phased in over two years to minimise the impact of the extensive relabelling requirements on food companies. Companies and businesses will have two years to sell current stock and change their labels to comply with the new law, before it becomes mandatory on 1 July 2018.
The regulations come after much public debate. Australians are increasingly aware of the volume of consumer goods being imported into the country. Many are worried about what that means for the local economy, especially Australian companies and jobs.
It is also clear that there are growing concerns in the community about the quality and safety of the food we eat. This came to a head after the frozen berry scare highlighted the often opaque nature of product labelling, and prompted consumers to look more closely at a product’s ingredients. The ensuing media coverage questioned the integrity of various overseas-made consumable products, and elevated Australia’s reputation for clean, green produce.
The Federal Government responded by strengthening and revamping the well-known ‘Made in Australia’ labelling system. The labels utilise the ‘Made in Australia’ green and gold kangaroo with a yellow bar showing whether a product was grown or made in Australia and the percentage of local ingredients. As a core element of the Government’s new mandatory country-of-origin food labelling system, the ‘Made in Australia’ labelling is also good news for Australian food producers. Australia’s high standards of production afford a significant advantage to Australian manufacturers, both in the local market and abroad.
To use the certification trade mark, goods must meet the criteria set out in the Australian Consumer Law as well as the more stringent Australian Made, Australian Grown Logo Code of Practice, and be reviewed and approved as genuinely Aussie by the Australian Made Campaign’s compliance team.