Australian consumer ministers have voted to introduce mandatory seafood labelling in hospitality venues.
According to a statement, country of origin labelling (CoOL) will give consumers clear, consistent information about where their seafood comes from.
Australia’s federal, state and territory consumer ministers met on Friday (24 November) to consider introducing mandatory CoOL for seafood in hospitality. This followed extensive stakeholder consultation and a cost-benefit analysis.
Consumer ministers voted to introduce the AIM model. Under this model, hospitality businesses will need to show if seafood is either:
- Australian (A)
- Imported (I)
- Mixed origin (M), if a dish includes both Australian and imported seafood.
The Australian government will implement the model using a new information standard under the Australian Consumer Law.
“Businesses don’t need to do anything yet. We will work with the hospitality industry to help it adopt the new seafood CoOL requirements,” says the government.
“We will provide guidance for impacted businesses. A transition period will give them time to adjust.”
More details are expected to be announced in 2024.
