As a consumer, if you want to buy food from a certain country, this fact sheet tells you what to look for on the label.
Statements about where food has been made or grown are found on product labels, packaging or in advertising. Common claims include ‘product of’, ‘grown in’ and ‘made in’. All packaged foods and most unpackaged foods sold in Australia are required to carry statements about the origin of the food.
‘Product of’/‘Grown in’
This means that each significant ingredient or part of the product originated in the country claimed and almost all of any production processes also occurred in that country.
‘Grown in’ is mostly used for fresh food and ‘Product of’ is often used for processed food.
For example
If ‘Product of Australia’ appears on a packet of smoked salmon, this means the salmon was both caught and smoked in Australia.
If ‘Grown in Australia’ appears on an apple, it was grown in Australia.
If you value knowing that your food comes from a particular country, look for a ‘Product of’ or ‘Grown in’ label—these claims give you the same level of assurance
‘Made in’
This means that the product was made (not just packed) in the country claimed and at least 50 per cent of the cost to produce the product was incurred in that country. However, these products could contain ingredients from other countries.
For example
If ‘Made in Australia’ appears on a jar of jam, this means the jam was made in Australia and at least half of the cost of making the jam was incurred in Australia. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the ingredients for the jam were grown or sourced in Australia.
Some companies use claims like ‘Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients’ on their products, however, this doesn’t tell you what proportion of the ingredients are local and what proportion are imported.
Some businesses may use this label to allow for seasonal shortages in Australian produce when they need to rely on imports.
If you want food that was grown or sourced in Australia, look for
‘Grown in Australia’ or
‘Product of Australia’
If you want food that has been made in Australia by Australian workers, look for
‘Made in Australia’
‘Grown in Australia’ or
‘Product of Australia’
But remember: A product with a ‘Made in Australia’ label won’t necessarily contain Australian ingredients
Logos and symbols
Some food labels contain logos, symbols or pictures. Examples include flags, animals, the Southern Cross or the map of Australia.
Look closely at the label to determine whether these pictures refer to the origin of the food or the ownership of the company.
There are a number of recognised logos which indicate where food has been made or grown, such as ‘Australian Made, Australian Grown’.
Ownership claims
Some foods include claims on their labels such as ‘Proudly Australian owned’ or ‘100% Australian owned’.
These statements are about the ownership of the company; they don’t indicate where the product was made or where its ingredients came from.
Further information
The ACCC is Australia’s national consumer protection agency. For further information on this and other consumer issues, visit www.accc.gov.au
Alternatively, your local state or territory consumer protection agency can give you further information on consumer issues.
For more information, contact your local consumer protection agency.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has national responsibilities for competition, fair trading and consumer protection and can be contacted on 1300 302 502 or visit accc.gov.au
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