Hastie welcomes Country of Origin Labelling to Australia

Wednesday, 4 July 2018 09:40

By Taylah Strano

The Canning MP has welcomed the decision from the Coalition government in a bid to support local farmers.

From this week all food in the supermarkets will clearly display the country of origin, giving shoppers the knowledge and power to decide when purchasing goods.

Federal Member for Canning Andrew Hastie welcomed the introduction of Country of origin labelling and said the new measures would support Aussie farmers.

“Effective this week, Australians will finally have very clear Country of Origin Labelling information to help them make decisions about what foods they buy," he said.

“It will now be much easier to buy Aussie produce.”

Most Australian foods will need to include a bar chart and statement indicating the minimum percentage of Australian content.

These foods will also carry the ‘Australian made’ kangaroo logo if it has been made, produced or grown in Australia.

“The new labels are all about improving transparency for shoppers so they have greater choice. We’re making it easier for people to support Australian producers.” Hastie said.

"Previous regulations lacked clarity and information about food and ingredient country of origin. Many consumers are interested in not just where something was made or packed, but also how much of the food was grown in Australia."

All food labels will now include information about where products have been made, grown or produced.

The new system is a consequence of legislation introduced by government, which came into force on July 1.