Locals label ruling a win: [1 All-round Country Edition]
Stapleton, John. Weekend Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 29 Oct 2005: 9.
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Abstract
ALL fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, nuts, ham and bacon will have to be clearly labelled with their country of origin after Tasmanian farmers scored a victory in their campaign for new labelling laws.
In the Fair Dinkum Food campaign earlier this year, Tasmanian farmers drove tractors through the eastern states before descending on the federal parliament. The lobbying began after McDonalds moved to buy french fries from New Zealand factories rather than from Tasmanian potato growers.
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ALL fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, nuts, ham and bacon will have to be clearly labelled with their country of origin after Tasmanian farmers scored a victory in their campaign for new labelling laws.
In supermarkets and grocery stores across the country, containers of produce must be clearly marked with their country of origin, theAustralia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council said yesterday.
Produce will not be individually labelled, but all packaging must carry the country of origin information.
In the Fair Dinkum Food campaign earlier this year, Tasmanian farmers drove tractors through the eastern states before descending on the federal parliament. The lobbying began after McDonalds moved to buy french fries from New Zealand factories rather than from Tasmanian potato growers.
Food council chairman Chris Pyne said the enactment of country of origin standards was good news for consumers. Many people who bought fresh fruit and vegetables thought they were supporting Australian farmers, when in fact the produce came from overseas.
“There has been a growing feeling among consumers that they want to know the country of origin of their food,” he said.
Tasmanian Deputy Premier David Llewellyn said the decision was about truth in labelling, “nothing more, nothing less”.
“This is vindication for all those involved in the Fair Dinkum Food campaign,” he said.
NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian McDonald described the ruling as a “red letter day for producers”, helping Australian farmers fight a flood of cheap and subsidised food from overseas.
“These proposals are about transparency, about giving consumers the opportunity to make informed choices,” he said. “It’s what theproducers and consumers want.”
The Australian Consumers Association said the decision was a win for customers. “Australians want to know the origins of thefoods they’re eating,” a spokeswoman said.
The organiser of the Fair Dinkum campaign, Richard Bovill. said the group was pleased with the new standards, and that the next step was to extend clear labelling to frozen and processed foods.