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NewsHow Australian is 'Australian Made'?
How Australian is 'Australian Made'?

How Australian is 'Australian Made'?

It was clearly labelled “ Aussie Beer” complete with a map of Australia and green and gold colours… yet it was brewed in China.

Or the ‘just caught prawn meat’, again with an Aussie map and flag, which while caught locally was actually processed and packaged in Thailand.

Such are the half-truths, and sometimes outright deceptions, which have copped fines recently from the genuinely true blue Australia Competition and Consumer Commission.

So while memories of our national day are still warm here’s a quick guide of how to decipher some of the porkies and small print around sneaky country of origin labels for food and drink.

And the good news is that soon they’ll be much better labels with more graphic information and reliable logos, complete with a kangaroo, to help you decide.

The problem in part has arisen as globalisation has given us access to once exotic foodstuffs from all over the world. Generally this is good and last week I even found frozen avocado from Peru in the supermarket.

But it can leave a sour taste in our mouths when merchants seek to exploit our desire to buy local with confusing descriptions.

Claims such as made in, grown in or product of Australia might imply the obvious to most of us but they have specific and differing definitions.

For example ‘Product of’, which usually applies to processed foods, if attached to something like smoked salmon means the fish was both caught and smoked in Australia.

If ‘Grown in Australia’ is attached to a piece of fruit it means just that in Oz not anywhere else.  These two descriptions are for now the simplest way to buy Australian.

With the term ‘Made in’, things get a bit more complex.   The ACCC says it means the food must have been manufactured, and not just packed in Australia, and at least 50% of the costs of processing must have been incurred in this country.

The ingredients might not even have come from Australia. The ACCC gives the example of jam. More than half the cost of making it might have been paid here but the fruit and/or sugar could have come from elsewhere.

The label which drives many consumers batty is ‘Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients’ which can mean anything and reveal nothing.

In part things are going to get better. Last July the federal government released the designs for new country-of-origin labels, which will specify the percentage of Australian produce in any foodstuff.

But there’s still no requirement to spell out where all of the key ingredients might be sourced from if they are not from Australia. CHOICE gives the example of ice cream. The dairy products might be proudly Australian and the consumer is left in the dark as to where the berries within might come from

Check out the new look labels and see if they will make your shopping any easier. People chose to buy Australian, which can sometimes but not always cost a bit more, for many reasons such as taste, purity even loyalty.

Whatever the reason the consumer has to have confidence in the product and that it comes from where they have good reason to believe it comes from. Aussie Beer, flags, maps all indicate a provenance of Australia. You shouldn’t have the read the fine print at the back of the pack to be sure.

PS

Some foods and other products claim to be ‘proudly Australian owned’ or ‘100% Aussie owned’. It might tell you about who the brand belongs to but doesn’t mean a thing as to where the product was made or where it’s ingredients/components came from.

Originally posted on .

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Someone
Someone from VIC commented:

I whole heartedly agree with Dianne from Victoria. Australian made and grown should be exactly that. What does it mean when the sign says made from local and imported ingredients, do they mean 99.9% imported and .1% local ingriedients? I'd like a breakdown please. Angela from Victoria 

Someone
Someone from VIC commented:

This country is so dumb!! It allows it citizens to be duped by importers who are trying to rip us off. Crazy! ! 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

You really have to watch Birds Eye frozen peas. They used to be labelled Australian peas, now only the small packets are labelled Australian peas, the rest are from local and imported ingredients. I guess the time is rapidly coming when you cannot buy Australian peas at all. Quite disgusting!! 

J and B
J and B from NSW commented:

I got caught out with "Koala Rice" ... a Thai grown product. Threw it in the bin. Went searching for an Aussie grown product ... thought the familiar brand names in the Riverina wouldnt let me down, but once again ... an Australian company but the rice grown in Thailand or elsewhere. Can anyone tell me if we actually grow any rice in this country anymore? Resent being taken for a fool - "Koala rice" indeed!! 

Victoria
Victoria from NSW commented:

Recently, Coles had golden circle pineapple in tins with two different prices..one being a dollar more than the other so I read the labels....the cheaper one was pineapple from the Phillipines , the dearer one was Australian pineapple. I thought golden circle was an Australian company only using Australian pineapple but not so. At least the labels had the information, albeit hidden on the back of the tins in small print...our choice to buy the dearer Australian pineapple. Ps Aldi pineapple is not Australian pineapple...please check the back of the label if you wish to use only Australian products. 

Noeline
Noeline from NSW commented:

I like to see the goods have come from an Australian owned company, I always check the labels to see if the products were grown or made in Australian, where the products come from etc If I believe the goods are not truely Australian I certainly do not buy. 

John
John from NSW commented:

I used to try and buy Australian products, rather than imports,but it just got too difficult. I'd like to buy Australian and, I think, the best way to do that is to shop at the gate, if you can. If I need to shop at a supermarket these days, I look at the ingredient list with the calories, sugar etc. content rather than where it was grown. All the lies in labelling has had its effect. 

Zohrab
Zohrab from NSW commented:

I am sick and tired of labels saying Made in Australia when only a small proportion is actually made here. I do not wish to buy anything but wholly Australian and everyone should have the right to do so if they so wish. Labeling should clearly be distinguished in their statement. 

Marilyn
Marilyn from NSW commented:

If the 'frozen berry debacle' wasn't enough to frighten us into the importance of hygienic food preparation, what will be? Even chinese parents know that if you want what is best for your childs health & prosperity, buy Australian manufactured baby formula! We are guilty of being too 'lazy & cheap' to demand the best for Australians, often preferring to buy the least expensive item rather than the quality Australian made & grown. Australia should be leading the charge in food manufacturing & supplying the world with the best & freshest food instead of selling off our farms to overseas buyers. Let the rest of the world buy our products. Our farmers are clearly leaders in best practice farming & Sustainability . Anyone who has travelled overseas knows the quality if fresh fruit etc does not compare to our home grown produce! Come on Australia sell our produce to the world! 

Michael
Michael from NSW commented:

Time the Govt took on the task of having all food stuffs labelled saying exactly what comes from Aust . This has been going on since use by dates were introduced in the early 70's Mike F 

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