28 July 2026
NSW Farmers says last night’s Four Corners investigation should be a wake-up call for governments, regulators, supermarkets and food manufacturers after serious allegations of food fraud and misleading country-of-origin claims were uncovered across products sold on Australian supermarket shelves.
The investigation has exposed what farmers have feared for years – that consumers are being misled, growers are being taken for a ride, and we’re all paying the price.
NSW Farmers President, Rebecca Reardon, said the investigation reinforced concerns the Association had raised for years about weaknesses in Country of Origin Labelling laws and the growing gap between the standards imposed on Australian farmers and those expected elsewhere in the food supply chain.
“Last night’s report is absolutely damning,” said Ms Reardon.
“When Australian consumers purchase a product labelled Australian-grown, they believe that’s exactly what they’re getting but the Four Corners investigation calls that assumption into question.”
“Consumers are being asked to pay a premium to back Australian farmers and if the claims on the label are not genuine, then consumers are being deceived and Australian growers are being undercut by products that are not what they claim to be.”
The Association has renewed its long-standing calls for stronger Country of Origin Labelling protections, improved verification of origin claims and tougher enforcement action where consumers are misled. Major retailers are quick to use their influence to take advantage of farmers at their gate, and shoppers at the checkout but it appears they are not so rigorous in ensuring accuracy in labelling of imported food.
NSW Farmers said Australian farmers were operating under some of the toughest production, food safety, biosecurity, chemical use and traceability requirements in the world.
“Australian supply chains are heavily monitored and growers are inspected, audited, tested, verified and scrutinised every single day with every food movement recorded and food safety requirement documented. Every supermarket supplier is expected to prove compliance to rigorous and often onerous standards.”
“Yet the Four Corners reporting raises a serious question – who is checking whether imported products and ingredients are actually what they claim to be?”
The Association said that many growers would be furious to see allegations that imported products may have been marketed as Australian grown while local growers continue to absorb ever-increasing costs and work hard to produce high quality and sustainable produce.
“Consumers should not need forensic scientists to tell them where their food comes from. If the claims made on a package cannot be trusted, then consumer confidence in the entire food system is at risk.”
“Australian farmers have spent generations building that trust and they should not be the ones paying the price when others fail to uphold it.”
“Governments, regulators and retailers now have some very serious questions to answer,” concluded Ms Reardon.
