Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week it has been revealed that certain brands of imported frozen berries grown and/or packaged in China are suspected of having infected Australians with hepatitis A through contamination with faecal matter. This is an important public health issue demanding a strong government response in the areas of food standards and food labelling. Given that there have already been hepatitis A cases in Europe and North America linked to frozen berries in recent years, it is astounding that Food Standards Australia and New Zealand have required that only five per cent of berries imported into Australia need to be tested, and even then not for hepatitis A. At the same time, local berry growers are subject to demanding chemical and biological testing and inspection procedures at the grower's expense. It is imperative that this discrepancy in testing standards be addressed and that consumer safety be made a priority.

Consumers wanting to know where their food comes from face confusing country of origin labelling. For instance, the words 'Made in Australia' can mean that all of the ingredients are made or grown elsewhere but are packaged in Australia. The Prime Minister's response to this crisis to the effect that it is up to businesses not to poison their customers and that he does not support improved food labelling because he does not want to increase regulation and red tape on the private sector is grossly irresponsible. This is a public health issue that deserves to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Consumers are entitled to have confidence that the food they buy for themselves and their children is safe, and they are entitled to detailed information as to its ingredients and origins.