Potato stamp of approval

By Tania Martin
A GEMBROOK potato farmer has described a Federal Government victory over food labelling laws as a step forward for Australian agriculture.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood last week said after extensive lobbying for the government to improve food labelling, a ministerial directive was to be sent to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Mr Wood said the directive would pave the way for FSANZ to adopt a major new reform for packaged foods, meaning they would be labelled according to their origin.
“Under the draft standard, packaged fruit, vegetables, nuts, seafood and pork will be required to clearly identify their specific country of origin.
Gembrook potato farmer Gae Failla said she was pleased the government had push forward with the need for better food labelling laws. Mrs Failla said it was an important step forward for agriculture as consumers need to know where the product they are buying has come from.
She said consumers can then make the choice to either buy Australian or overseas products knowing where the produce is from.
Mr Wood invited The Mail along to a meeting with the Faillas in August to outline the importance of the introduction of better food labelling laws.
Since that meeting, Mr Wood has been lobbying the government to update the laws.
“This announcement is the result of a great deal of hard work,” he said. “It demonstrates what can be achieved when there is close cooperation between political representatives at all levels and stakeholders. It is also a testament to the hard work of local residents who have been very concerned about this issue.”
He said many consumers are fooled into thinking that ‘home brand’ means that a product is Australian, which is often not the case.
He said Australian food would now have its own label, and that the government was negotiating with the Coles supermarket chain over introducing the labels.
“There are two Coles stores in Australia we already have on board, and the idea is to have the price tag as usual and then have another coloured tag underneath it identifying the country of origin,” he said
Mr Wood said the Australian Government has now delivered a way forward to provide countryoforigin labelling guidelines which meet the expectations of farmers and consumers.