By SONJA KOREMANS
ALL Australians can have their say on what they want in clearer country of origin food labelling.
Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane said an online survey would help design the new labelling system.
“The Federal Government has completed a two-month industry consultation process, and we are now asking for consumer feedback from the very shoppers who will be in the supermarket making use of the new labels,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“Consumers have told us loud and clear that they want more useful food labelling, and now we want to hear from them about which options they prefer.
“Based on our consultation sessions in major capital and regional cities, we have valuable industry information on how we can implement a system that is fair and transparent for consumers without adding extra costs to business.”
Mr Macfarlane said the community survey and the government’s market research data were crucial in defining the new framework, and this is the next step in finding a balance for industry and the consumer.
Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce said the work to improve country of origin food labelling was to make sure Australians had clear information about the food they bought.
“It’s important that people can make informed choices about the food they buy at their local supermarket. We want Australians to have confidence in knowing where their food is coming from,“ Mr Joyce said.
The country of origin food labelling community survey is available at www.industry.gov.au/cool and hardcopies can be requested by calling 13 28 46.
