Country of Origin labelling in Australia: the Information Standard explained

What the Standard requires

The Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 is a mandatory requirement established under the Australian Consumer Law. This law is found in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Businesses must adhere to this standard when selling food.

The standard’s application extends to the majority of food products offered for retail sale in Australia. However, certain sales are excluded; for example, food provided in restaurants and cafés is typically not subject to the standard’s requirements.

Failure to comply with the standard carries consequences. Businesses that do not meet the requirements face civil penalties as outlined within the Australian Consumer Law.

Priority foods labelling

Priority foods are the majority of food products sold in Australia and are subject to the standard country-of-origin labelling requirements. These foods must display a country-of-origin label to inform consumers about their origin.

Foods that are grown or made in Australia are labelled with the kangaroo-in-triangle logo. This logo is accompanied by a bar chart that illustrates the percentage of Australian-grown ingredients present in the product.

The Information Standard uses specific text qualifiers to clarify the meaning of origin claims. These qualifiers, including ‘Grown in’, ‘Product of’, ‘Made in’, and ‘Packed in’, must be applied accurately to ensure consumers can correctly recognise the origin of the food.

Non-priority foods

Foods classified as non-priority are subject to different labelling requirements than priority foods. These include items such as confectionery, biscuits, snack food, bottled water, soft drinks, sports drinks, tea, coffee, and alcohol.

For non-priority foods, the primary requirement is to disclose the country of origin. This disclosure is sufficient; the kangaroo logo and bar chart are not mandated.

Imported non-priority foods are also required to clearly identify their country of origin.

Enforcement

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is responsible for the main enforcement of the Information Standard. The ACCC monitors compliance and investigates potential breaches of the requirements.

State and territory consumer-protection agencies also possess enforcement powers relating to the Information Standard. This means that businesses can face action from both the ACC and state or territory agencies.

The ACCC has previously used its enforcement powers to address instances where businesses have made inaccurate ‘Made in Australia’ claims. These actions have focused on products where the substantial-transformation threshold was not met.