Country of origin labelling is a notice or label on products to let your customers know what country a product came from.  In Australia misleading country of origin labelling is prohibited. 

If you sell food in retail stores in Australia, country of origin food labelling laws apply to your products. 

Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), certain food products offered or suitable for retail sale are required to display country of origin information. The ACL doesn’t require non-food products to carry country of origin labelling, although other laws may do so. 

General products

Products sold in Australia must not have misleading representations about the country of origin.  A representation about country of origin can include words, a picture or both, indicating that goods were made, produced or grown in a particular country.

The representation can be either:

• attached to the goods - for instance, on a label; or 
• in promotional material linked to the goods.

Words or pictures that are an essential part of the goods are not necessarily a representation about country of origin.

Example:

A t-shirt with a ‘Made in Australia’ label makes a representation about country of origin. A t-shirt emblazoned with the word ‘Australia’ as part of its design, does not.

When there is no country of origin representation, you must be careful not to imply one by other statements or signs associated with the goods.

Example:

A person may buy a ‘genuine Turkish rug’ believing it is made in Turkey, when it is actually made in China

Representations about country of origin include:

• ‘made in’ a specified country;
• ‘produce of’, ‘product of’ or ‘produced in’ a country;
• use of a prescribed logo; and
• claims that goods, or ingredients or components, were ‘grown in’ a specified country.

You are protected by the law when you make country of origin representations, provided you meet certain criteria.

More information about using the Australian Made label is available from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) publication Country of origin claims and the Australian Consumer Law. 

Food labelling

Businesses must meet the requirements of the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, made under the ACL. The Country of Origin Food Labelling Fact Sheet, including translations, is available on the ACCC website.

The standard applies to food offered for retail sale in Australia, including in stores or markets, online or from a vending machine. The law does not apply to food sold in places such as restaurants, cafes, take-away shops and schools, or to food provided by caterers.

Most foods produced, grown or made in Australia are required to display a label with:

• the kangaroo in a triangle system to help consumers easily and quickly identify the food’s Australian origin
• a text statement indicating that the food was grown, produced, or made in Australia
• a bar chart showing the minimum proportion of Australian ingredients by ingoing weight, shown as a percentage amount.

Country of origin food labelling

A sample of one style of labelling. Watch the video below to see how to apply the labelling to your products.

Labelling requirements will vary depending on the type of food product and whether it was grown, produced, made or packed in Australia or another country.  Detailed information about labelling food under this Standard is available from the ACCC's Country of origin food labelling guide. 

For most imported food (food that is grown, produced, made or packaged in a country other than Australia), the label should specify the country of origin in a clearly defined box. 

The Standard applies to most food offered for retail sale in Australia (e.g. food sold to the public in stores or markets, online or from vending machines) if it is:

• in a package or
• unpackaged seafood, particular meats, fruit and vegetables, nuts, spices, herbs, fungi, legumes, seeds or a mix of these foods.

The Standard does not apply to food that is:

• otherwise unpackaged (e.g. unpackaged cheese, pastries or sandwiches)
• only intended for export to overseas markets
• sold by restaurants, canteens, schools, caterers, self-catering institutions, prisons, hospitals, medical institutions and at fund-raising events (e.g. a cake stall at a school fete)
• made and packaged on the same premises where it is sold (e.g. bread in a bakery)
• delivered and packaged ready for consumption, as ordered by the consumer (e.g. home delivered pizza)
• for special medical purposes
• not for human consumption (e.g. pet food).

For more information, visit the Australian Government’s food labelling website.

Misleading labels

Businesses must not make false or misleading representations about the country of origin of goods. A representation about country of origin can include words, a picture or both, indicating that goods were made, produced or grown in a particular country.

'Product of' and 'Grown in'

'Product of' and 'Grown in' means that each significant ingredient or component of the product originated in or was grown in the country claimed and all, or almost all, of the production and manufacturing processes occurred in that country.

Logos and symbols

There are a number of recognised logos which indicate where food has been made or grown, such as ‘Australian Made, Australian Grown’.

Growers often have their own 'stickers' identifying their company or region, for example WA citrus fruit may have a sticker stating Westralia Fruit, Gingin Citrus, Yambellup Estate, Moora Citrus, Sandgroper, Harvey Citrus or  AGRIFresh.

The WA Birthmark symbol is used on product(s) made primarily in Western Australia.  If the symbol is used incorrectly and deemed to be false, misleading or deceptive, then penalties may apply under the Australian Consumer Law.

Buy West Eat Best is another brand some producers and citrus products use to identify their origin.

Ownership claims

Some foods include claims on their labels such as ‘Proudly Australian owned’ or ‘100% Australian owned’. These statements are about the ownership of the company; they don’t indicate where the product was made or where its ingredients came from. See more information on Australian Made.

Helpful tools and information

Below lists some helpful links to country of origin labelling tools.  It is not exhuastive, and most of the pages listed below will lead you through other useful information. 

1. Business.gov.au tools:
   1. Country of origin food labelling webpage - how the laws apply to your products.  Includes the information standard, label library, style guide and helpful instructional videos.
   2. Country of Origin labelling online tool  - helps choose which label to use.
2. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's tools:
   1. Country of origin food labelling fact sheet - overview of the information standard for food products. 
   2. Country of origin claims and the Australian Consumer Law - for food and non-food products, including translations.
   3. Country of origin food labelling page - advice for businesses on how to comply with the labelling standard.  
   4. Country of origin food labelling guide - help businesses comply with the labelling standard
   5. Online education module - Module 11 in the small business program, which provides a broad overview of the key provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 including the Australian Consumer Law.
   6. Specific industry advice: 
      1. Country of origin labelling and the dairy industry 
      2. Country of origin labelling for complementary healthcare products - a guide for business
3. Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (Federal) tools:
   1. Country of origin labelling page - details the information standards and reform papers.