Food Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

27 November , 2023

Seafood Country of Origin Labelling Changes

Previously, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia has campaigned for changes to current labelling laws for seafood at cafes, restaurants and clubs – advocating for country of origin-specific labelling. Recently, the Albanese government has announced that while there will be changes to seafood country of origin labelling, the labelling will be restricted to differentiating between Australia and overseas.

The below press release from Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Assistant Minister for Trade explains some of the reasoning behind the conversation and the government’s approach.

30 October , 2023

Guidelines for Plant-Based Product Labelling

This information is shared so consumer representatives can keep up-to-date with developments in industry food labelling.

18 September , 2023

Call for Supermarkets to Help Shoppers Spot Package “shrinkflation”

QCA spokesperson, Ian Jarratt says manufacturers use shrinkflation to make “sneaky” price increases and improve or maintain their margins because most shoppers are more aware of, and sensitive to, higher selling prices than reductions in the amount in packages.

12 September , 2023

Global Update on Unit Pricing

The latest edition of the Queensland Consumers Association’s (QCA) newsletter Unit Pricing Global Update (found here) contains information about unit pricing in several countries including in: QCA spokesperson, Ian Jarratt says that in Canada the Competition Bureau and the parliamentary committee’s recommendations on grocery unit pricing are important not only for consumers in Canada (where…

19 February , 2023

Urgent action needed to help grocery shoppers save money

The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) wants action now from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Albanese government to make it much easier for consumers to manage the cost of living and grocery price inflation crises by getting better value when shopping for groceries. QCA’s spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says the results of a…

14 February , 2023

Country of origin labelling for seafood

The Australian Government wants your views on a proposed model for mandatory country of origin labelling (CoOL) for seafood in hospitality settings. Under the model, businesses would need to provide information on whether their seafood is Australian, imported/international, or from mixed sources. The government is committed to improving information for consumers while minimising costs and…

13 February , 2023

Consumer submission on CSIRO Discussion Paper – Transforming Australian Food Systems

The Queensland Consumers Association has made a submission on a CSIRO Discussion Paper -Transforming Australian Food Systems – which will inform the development of an Australian Food Systems Roadmap. The submission says that: In addition to considering written submissions, additional consultation should be undertaken with consumer and public health organisations prior to the preparation of…

22 November , 2022

UK supermarkets asked to implement a 10 point action plan to improve food affordability

The UK consumer organisation Which? has launched a campaign – Affordable Food for All – because Which? says millions of families are skipping meals to survive the cost of living crisis and with the price of essential products soaring, supermarkets have a crucial role to play to help everyone. Which? also conducted a consumer survey…

28 October , 2022

Clearer seafood labelling a big win for consumers

The Albanese Government will provide $1.6 million to deliver its election commitment to introduce Country of Origin Labelling in the seafood industry. The Government will work closely with the seafood and hospitality sectors to improve seafood labelling and help consumers make informed decisions about the food they buy. Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing Tim…

22 August , 2022

Price transparency and consumers’ right to food

Recently, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published an interview with Ian Jarratt from the Queensland Consumers Association on the relevance of retail food price transparency to the FAO’s Right to Food Program. In the interview Ian says that food price transparency is extremely relevant to consumers’ right to food because it ensures that…

8 August , 2022

Food and Agruculture Organization interview CFA Executive Ian Jarratt

Ian Jarratt, CFA Executive member and Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) member, was recently interviewed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations about the importance of food transparency, unit pricing, and the role that consumer associations need to play in the transformation of agri-food systems. In this interview, he talks about his experiences from…

20 May , 2022

CFA Seeks a Consumer Representative for the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Consumer and Public Health Dialogue (CPHD)

FSANZ is a statutory authority operating under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991. FSANZ develops standards that regulate the use of ingredients, processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals. The Food Standards Code also covers the composition of some foods, such as dairy, meat and beverages as well as foods developed by new…