New country of origin food labelling laws

From 1 July 2016, the Australian Government is introducing new food labelling legislation. Food businesses selling food in Australian retail stores will begin using new, easy-to-understand food labels that will clearly show where the food is grown, produced, made or packed.

GS1 Australia and the Australian Made Campaign will support the new food labelling legislation by establishing a database of all food products made or grown in Australia and capture brand owner CoOL data on the National Product Catalogue – the smart, secure way to share product data in a single, accessible location.

Australian Made Campaign chief executive Ian Harrison said: “We welcome the collaboration with GS1 Australia as it will provide brand owners and retailers with food labelling consistency, access to country of origin information via the National Product Catalogue, and seamless integration of product country of origin information onto online shopping platforms.”

These new labels will also incorporate the iconic kangaroo in the triangle logo, an Australian content indicator and supporting text.

The new food labelling will be phased in over two years to minimise the impact on food companies of the extensive relabelling requirements. The new scheme will also help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions about the food they are buying for themselves and their family.

GS1 Australia chief executive officer Maria Palazzolo said this collaboration supports the shared vision of protecting the Australian food supply chain and the safety of consumers.

“Today people want to know where their food is grown, manufactured and packaged. The new labels will alleviate growing concerns about the quality and safety of the food they eat. Capturing and leveraging the CoOL data on the National Product Catalogue using GS1 standards will also allow for better visibility of product as it moves through the value chain.”