How to develop your country of origin label
Country of origin information must be displayed on most retail food products sold in Australia. The following steps will help you understand your obligations and find the right label for your product.
1. Know the legislation
Two important pieces of legislation that govern food labelling in Australia include:
- Australian Consumer Law (ACL)
- the country of origin food labelling Information Standard 2016 (the Information Standard).
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission administers this legislation and can provide additional guidance if you have questions.
ACL for your food products
ACL requires certain food products to display country of origin information. ACL also ensures that businesses don’t make false or misleading claims – this also applies to country of origin claims.
The Information Standard and ACL
The Information Standard supports the ACL and sets out the requirements for providing country of origin information on food products.
2. Understand what the different origin labels mean
The label your product requires will depend on the food product itself. It may need:
- the standard mark – includes the kangaroo logo, bar chart and explanatory text (or variations of these), within a clearly defined box
- a country of origin statement – that identifies where the product is from
- no origin label at all – because the product is exempt.
3. Use the country of origin labelling online tool to find which label you need
An online decision tool is available for businesses to help you choose the right label.
Use the country of origin labelling online tool
The country of origin labelling online tool can generate labels for you to use. The tool will ask you a series of questions about your food product such as how you are selling it and where its ingredients are grown, produced or made.
Create your label4. Label your product correctly
Once you know which label your product requires, our style guide can help you accurately display it. Displaying the label correctly includes ensuring:
- the standard mark is contained within a clearly defined box
- labels are placed on individual products
- text is legible and prominent
- a 3mm clear space around the label is recommended.
Labels can appear anywhere on the packaging and can be in any colours provided the label itself contrasts distinctly with its background.
Country of origin food labelling style guide
Use the Country of origin food labelling style guide to help design your packaging and marketing material.
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