Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As time ran out for the debate on the private member’s motion on food labelling I wish to continue the discussion. I was going through the New Zealand guide because it gave a very good explanation of what is and should be on labels in Australia. Labels should tell the truth. If you have a picture of strawberries on the label, it must contain strawberries, not some other fruit that might be in season or a chemical substitute as the flavouring agent at the time of labelling.

Labels should be readable, prominent and distinct from the background and in English. Warning statements should be at least three millimetres high and once again readable even on small packages. Directions for cooking and storage should be clear. It should show the use-by date and should show that it be kept refrigerated at the appropriate temperature. And it should suggest that it is important that cooking instructions be followed.

The food additives should be listed in the ingredients list by name or number and those should not be in a very complicated code. Allergens should also be very carefully labelled because there are a lot of ingredients that seem to be in everything that is a problem for many people. Such foods as peanuts, tree nuts—almonds, cashews and walnuts—shellfish, finfish, milk, eggs, sesame and soya beans are the usual ones. There are others too for certain people such as chocolate, tomatoes, lentils, peas, red wine and citreous to name a few. Information about GM and irradiated foods should be on the label.

Country of origin can be very confusing as there has been a distinction between ‘product of Australia’, ‘made in Australia’ and products made overseas, and the country from which the main products originate. We also have to have the name and address of the manufacturer or the importer for recall purposes as well as a lot number or date. Any other information such as whether it is organic, kosher, halal or vegetarian also needs to be there. Also the glycaemic index should be included. As well, other symbols, such as ‘fat free’, should be explained.

I think the review that is being done in Australia is going to be very important in helping Australians become more familiar with what is going into our food, where it comes from and how it is processed. The review is being led by a great Tasmanian, Neal Blewett. I wish him well in his work.

I am a great believer in foods in season being sourced as locally as possible. I think our farmers should be encouraged to serve local markets first and keep the processing within a reasonable travel distance so that our food can be fresh and keep its taste naturally without chemical intervention. (Time expired)