Australia mandates seafood labelling - but doesn't go far enough
Australia has mandated all its hospitality venues must display the country of origin of the seafood they serve, but have failed to adopt NOFF's recommendation to require specification of wild caught or farmed.
Under the updated regulations, all foodservice businesses must list whether the seafood they sell is Australian, imported, or of mixed origin, with A, I, or M labels denoting each category. The Australia Department of Industry, Science, and Resources said it will release details of the labeling program in 2024, including the mandatory phase-in date, scheduled for 2025.
NOFF's submission to the Federal Government proposed a clear and simple extension to the labelling, to indicate whether the product is wild caught or farmed. We also pointed out that the definition of "Australian" allows Atlantic salmon to be listed as Australian if they are farmed here, although clearly they are an exotic species not native to our waters.