New Country of Origin Labelling Guide
This month I wrote an article about the review that is currently underway by a Federal Parliamentary committee about Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL).
To assist food businesses correctly label their food in terms of CoOL, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)has just released a brand new guide to help all food business label their food correctly according to both the Food Standards code and the Trade Practices Act.
The terms; “Product of Australia”, “Made in Australia” and “Grown in Australia” often confuse both businesses and the public. This guide will assist business understand which they can use and when.
It includes explanations and examples to make it easy to understand these important CoOL terms.
It is well recognised that Australians are very parochial when it comes to buying goods, and especially foods, and therefore the correct labelling of these products will influence sales and therefore business profits. Getting it right will increase sales, and getting it wrong will result in fines.
Rod Sims, ACCC Chairman, said; “Country of origin labels are valuable tools that allow consumers to make informed choices and let businesses compete fairly. Many consumers specifically seek out, or are willing to pay a premium for, Australian produce, or products that are made in Australia. This information assists manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, retailers, advertisers and anyone else who may be making country of origin representations, in deciding what claims are appropriate for their products. Any claim that is likely to mislead consumers about the origin of a product will also breach the law. Credence claims are a priority area for the ACCC, particularly those with the potential to adversely impact the competitive process and small businesses.”
Recently, a large supermarket chain was fined over $61000 for alleged misleading representation of the CoOL on some of it’s fresh produce in 2013. According to Australian Consumer Law, the penalties for making false CoOL claims can be up to $1.1 million.
Getting CoOL right on a product is essential and this guidance from the ACCC will be a huge help to all business, and especially those in the food industry.
It can be found at http://www.accc.gov.au/publications/country-of-origin-claims-the-australian-consumer-law
Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach