I will be the first to come out and say it; I love bacon. The smokey-ness and the salty-ness it adds to a meal at breakfast … to any meal really. And many Aussies share the same love of it. But when a company advertises bacon as ‘Australian’, how do people feel about that?
With stricter guidelines now in place from Food Safety Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), many businesses are focusing on representing their products in the correct manner. This is especially the case with Origin vs. Made In vs. Product Of debate that has occurred for a while. So creating an ad that claims that their bacon is ‘Australia’s favourite’ sparked some controversy.
How does bacon fit in?
An ad made by smallgoods brand, Primo, made this claim and some consumers thought it was misleading. The statement seems to claim that bacon is Australian – that it is deceptive because it does not align with the changes in the Country of Origin Labelling law. The advertiser argues that the term ‘Australia’s favourite bacon’ did not imply the bacon is Australian made. Instead, it reflected consumer preference.
The new laws mean that companies need to update labels for food products that clearly break down the percentage of food that is Australian made. Businesses are given one to two years for the transition period.
If an ad can cause such a big fuss, what more can an incorrect food label do?
Does your food business also need to consider updating slogans to match the new Country of Origin Labelling? Has your company considered how to adapt the new law into your food labelling?
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