The Federal Government has released its evaluation of Country of Origin Labelling for Food reforms. The evaluation began 2 years after the reforms came into full effect in 2018 and took 12 months. The evaluation:
- found that the Country of Origin Labelling for Food reforms were well implemented, effective and met its objectives, and
- recommended against making major changes to the requirements at this time.
The evaluation used a range of consultation approaches and engaged an external consultant to ensure we captured views from consumers, businesses, industry and government stakeholders. The Consumers’ Federation of Australia provided a written submission to the consultation in 2020.
The Minister has released a statement responding to the consultation noting that the Government agrees with its findings, but states that it is committed to maintaining the integrity and operation of the scheme. It will do this by:
- exploring voluntary options for Country of Origin Labelling in food service, particularly seafood
- further considering business and consumer concerns that the ‘Made in’ claim can be misunderstood, particularly for processed pork and other meat products
- exploring the scope and timing of options to strengthen consumer awareness, understanding and business compliance with the Country of Origin Labelling scheme
- continue monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme.
Further information can be found here.
This article was written with information taken from a publication by the Australian Government: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, released on the 25th of February 2022.
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