A report on the reforms of food labels led by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) has found the changes made it easier for consumers to get clearer information about the origin of the food they bought.
In its Report, Evaluation of Country of Origin Labelling reforms, DISER said the reforms were introduced in 2018 to provide consumers with clearer, easier to understand information.
“This evaluation has considered whether the CoOL (Country of Origin Labelling) reforms improved consumer access to information about the origin of food, and clarified the origin claims businesses can make about their products, without imposing excessive costs on those businesses,” DISER said.
“CoOL reform has resulted in the provision of more information about food origin that is of greater quality and consistency than was provided previously,” it said.
“The consumer survey indicates that overall, most consumers are satisfied with the amount of information they receive from CoOL.”
DISER said the Scheme had provided consumers with more country of origin information and most consumers were satisfied with this, however, there remained a subset of consumers who wanted additional information about the origin of non-Australian ingredients.
“This group of consumers appear motivated by concerns about food provenance and safety,” it said.
“However, the CoOL Scheme is not a food safety initiative and, therefore, increased country of origin information would not necessarily meet the requirements of those people seeking more information about the origin of ingredients.”
The Department said that within the Australian Government, the CoOL reforms were considered to be an exemplar of good implementation.
It said the reforms were well planned and implemented, but for the Scheme to reach its potential, further effort was required to ensure labelling was understood.
DISER made six recommendations aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the Scheme, ensuring the robust monitoring of outcomes over a longer period of time and enforcing adequate compliance activities so the Scheme could fully realise its objectives.
The Department’s 123-page Evaluation Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
