The NSW Food Authority has set a target for a 30 per cent reduction in the number of food-borne illnesses by 2021. Photo: Kevin Stent
The NSW Food Authority is lobbying the federal government to simplify country-of-origin labelling laws so consumers are clear about where their food is produced.
The authority’s 2015-2021 food safety strategy released on Thursday advocates for the clarification of country-of-origin food labels and the simplification of labels that promote kilojoule intake and the Health Star rating.
It comes in the midst of a Hepatitis A outbreak caused by frozen berries that were sourced and packed in China and sold under the brands Nanna’s and Creative Gourmet.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Food Authority said that although the offending berries were compliant with food labelling requirements, the volume of product information on food packaging was confusing.
It included Heart Foundation ticks, health star ratings, nutrition, dietary intake and country of origin.
“At the moment you’ve potentially got five levels of labelling,” she said. “It’s cluttered, so I can understand why some people might not see it.”
A federal government working group is considering changes to food labelling.
The NSW Food Authority has set a target for a 30 per cent reduction in the number of food-borne illnesses by 2021 in its safety strategy.
This will be achieved by research into salmonella contamination, targeted audits of restaurants and cafes and working closely with poor performers.
But it does not have jurisdiction over imported food, which is the responsibility of the federal Department of Agriculture.
NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said it was a good time for people to buy local produce.
“Safe food is big business and NSW rightly enjoys a reputation for supplying safe quality food and food products,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
Food-borne illnesses cost $375 million annually in medical expenses and lost productivity, she said.
Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said his group’s research indicated only 12 to 13 per cent of consumers understood the food labels they read.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has accused manufacturers of exploiting Australia’s weak country of origin laws.