The 2024 Federal Budget provides $1.5 million over 2 years from 2023-24 for the Government to work with industry and regulatory agencies to improve existing arrangements and, in parallel, undertake independent consumer research to understand the extent of any consumer confusion in relation to plant-based and alternative protein labelling.
The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry will work with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the independent regulator of food safety system, to oversee the consumer research.
The department will also work with key industry bodies, such as the Red Meat Advisory Council and the Alternative Protein Council, to facilitate the development of strengthened industry guidelines.
The Federal Government considers that it is important that appropriate regulatory settings are in place to enable consumers to make informed choices about plant-based and alternative products. These arrangements should be evidence-based, proportionate to the risk and complement existing regulations.
More information about this budget measure can be found here.