Media release
The federal leader of the Palmer United Party and Member for Fairfax, Clive Palmer, has again called for urgent reform of Australian food labelling to keep profits at home and protect local jobs.
Mr Palmer said the Palmer United Party is committed to ensuring uniform food-labelling reform in Australia to promote the endeavours of local producers and boost employment.
“Under the current laws, it is impossible to determine the breakdown between ingredients and packaging when an item is labelled Australian-made,” Mr Palmer said.
“People may think they are supporting Australian producers when in fact only a very small percentage of what they spend may be staying in the country.”
Mr Palmer said clarity in labelling on all packaging remains one of the priorities of the Palmer United Party.
“We want to introduce a coloured tag system to properly inform consumers of the origins of the products they buy,” he said.
“If a product contains more than five percent of the product including packaging not originating in Australia, it would carry a red tag and if an item has 95% or more of its content made in Australia then we would be proposing a green and gold tag.
“The aim of this kind of food labelling reform would enable consumers to be able to make informed decisions about their purchases and to promote and protect truly Australian goods and services for the betterment of everybody in this country.”
ENDS