Barramundi Sent Up The Wrong Creek - 06/05/2005

Australian and New Zealand Food Standards is heading up the wrong creek according to Australian Barramundi Farmers Association President Craig Foster.

ANZFA has made a report recommending that seafood no longer be required to have country of origin labelling.

“This is open slather for unscrupulous retailers and importers to mislead and confuse consumers”, Mr Foster said.

“Barramundi is an iconic Australian food. The name is Aboriginal and comes from the Fitzroy region of Queensland. Barramundi has always been Australian”, he said.

“Consumers want and expect the premium Australian product they are used to when they purchase Barramundi. This proposal will result in deliberate deception of consumers.

“Imported product is already being labelled as Barramundi. This proposal to end country of origin labelling will make the confusion and deception of consumers worse” Mr Foster said.

Mr Foster said that the best solution, and the one the industry has been calling for is to make the Barramundi name apply only to Australian product.

“But if this iconic Australian name is going to be applied to imported product, at least identify it as imported and not Australian”, he said.

“It is time the government got its priorities right. This nonsense will confuse consumers and damage the image of an Australian product” he said.

“It will be as bad as selling fake didgeridoos in souvenir shops at airports and pretending they are Australian made” he said.

Mr Foster can be contacted on 0419322584