Media release
The federal leader of the Palmer United Party and Member for Fairfax, Clive Palmer, has congratulated the Government for adopting Palmer United Party policy on Australian food labelling.
The new labelling laws will force companies to show consumers what portion of a product is genuinely Australian.
Mr Palmer said the Palmer United Party promoted the idea prior to the last election as the Party believed urgent reform of Australian food labelling was required to keep profits in Australia and to protect local jobs.
“All consumers should have the right to make informed decisions about what they eat and how they are going to spend their money,” Mr Palmer said.
“A lot of products in the Australian market place contain misleading information.
“A product can be marked “Made in Australia” but contain no Australian grown ingredients.
“People may think they are supporting local Australian producers when in fact only a very small percentage of what they spend is staying in the country.
“The serious Hepatitis A outbreak that occurred earlier this year linked to imported frozen berries is an example of what can happen when consumers do not know what they are buying because of inadequate labelling laws.
“The Palmer United Party is committed to ensuring food labelling transparency to promote the endeavours of local producers and boost employment.
“We are very pleased that the government has decided to adopt food labelling reform and believe the action will promote and protect true Australian goods and services for the betterment of everybody in this country.”
ENDS