James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government is aware of strong community interest concerning food labelling, particularly the use and labelling of palm oil as an ingredient in food products. The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation is responsible for food-labelling decisions and not the Commonwealth. In 2011, an independent panel undertook a review of food-labelling law and policy. From this, the forum agreed to a framework to guide its decision-making. The government considers that, where appropriate, industry should self-regulate in response to community demand. The forum has agreed that further work must be done before a decision can be made on mandatory labelling of palm oil. The government is committed to ensuring we achieve the appropriate balance between consumer and industry demand.

Question agreed to.