South Australia has thrown its support behind a push for cafes, restaurants and other hospitality venues to identify whether the fish they’re serving is harvested in Australia on their menus.
While country of original labelling is mandatory for fish sold in either supermarkets or other retail settings, there is no such requirement for fish served in restaurants or cafes.
Today, State, Territory and Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Ministers will vote on a proposal to adopt country of original labelling laws for fish sold in a hospitality venue with Minister Michaels supporting the change.
The move has strong support from seafood industry bodies and would require venues to label any fish sold with an ‘A’ for products harvested in Australia, ‘I’ for fish harvested internationally and ‘M’ for any seafood that contains a mix of locally harvested and international products.
To be labelled Australian (A), the seafood needs to be harvested from Australian seas (including within our exclusive economic zone) or internal waters.
The Malinauskas Government believes this is an important step in supporting Australian fishers and ensuring transparency for consumers purchasing seafood in a restaurant without being onerous for small businesses.
As put by Andrea Michaels
We want to support the Australian seafood industry and giving people the information to make an informed choice regardless of whether they’re buying fish from a supermarket or dining at a restaurant is a great way to do that.
The proposed ‘AIM’ model strikes the right balance giving consumers or diners sufficient information without making the practice too onerous for local businesses.
The feedback from local industry bodies and consumers shows that they clearly support a model that helps provide consumers with this level of detail, which is why I’ll be supporting the proposal at today’s national meeting of Consumer Affairs Ministers.
As put by Jo Chronis, co- owner of Fishbank
We fully endorse this model and believe it is essential to communicate as much information as possible to our diners, so they can make informed decisions about their menu selections.
We can proudly boast being awarded South Australia’s best seafood restaurant for two consecutive years and we are committed to supporting local seafood industry wherever possible.
As put by Kyriakos (Kyri) Toumazos (Executive Seafood Industry South Australia SISA)
Following two decades of advocacy on behalf of the Community the South Australian Seafood Industry is pleased to have worked constructively with the Malinauskas Labor Government to secure the support of country of origin Labelling for Seafood.
South Australian consumers have the right to choose what they consume and that can only be achieved by appropriate and nationally consistent country of origin labelling laws. This is win/win for the seafood sector and consumers alike.
