Guide · Labelling
Country of origin labelling — the standard mark, the bar chart and who it applies to
The kangaroo in a triangle and the little bar chart beside it are among the most recognised marks on an Australian shelf. They are also the part of food labelling most often looked for in the wrong place: this is consumer law, not food law, and it lives in its own instrument.
Where the rule actually lives
Not in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The rule is the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, made under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. It is administered by the ACCC, and breaching it is a consumer-law matter, not a food-safety one.
Practically this matters in two ways. A state food officer is not the person who enforces it. And it is not amended when the Food Standards Code is — two different instruments on two different clocks.
Priority and non-priority foods
The Standard splits food in two. Non-priority foods are listed exhaustively in section 9:
- seasonings
- confectionary
- biscuits and snack food
- bottled water
- soft drinks and sports drinks
- tea and coffee
- alcoholic beverages
Everything else is a priority food. The distinction decides how much you have to print: a non-priority food needs a country of origin statement, but not the full standard mark with logo and bar chart. A priority food needs the mark.
🟡 Note the spelling in the list. The instrument writes “confectionary”, not “confectionery”. That is how it is printed in the Standard, and searching the text for the usual spelling finds nothing.
The standard mark
For a priority food grown, produced or made in Australia, the mark has three parts:
- Text — a statement of origin;
- A bar chart — showing the proportion of Australian ingredients by ingoing weight;
- The kangaroo logo — but only if all of the food in the package was grown, produced or made in Australia.
Where the food is entirely Australian, the Standard allows the mark to carry the logo, the 100 % bar chart and any of these statements:
‘Made in Australia from Australian ingredients’; ‘Produced in Australia’; ‘Grown in Australia’; ‘Australian [kind of food]’; or ‘Made in Australia from 100% Australian ingredients’.
The bar chart has twelve steps, not a hundred
The chart does not show a precise percentage. Section 10 defines twelve bands, and your figure is placed in the band it falls into:
| Band | Band | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 10 % | 40 % to 49 % | 80 % to 89 % |
| 10 % to 19 % | 50 % to 59 % | 90 % to 94 % |
| 20 % to 29 % | 60 % to 69 % | 95 % to 99 % |
| 30 % to 39 % | 70 % to 79 % | 100 % |
Two bands are unusually narrow at the top — 90 to 94 and 95 to 99. A product at 94 % and one at 96 % show different charts, which is worth knowing before you change a supplier for a minor ingredient.
Imported food
For food grown, produced, made or packaged in another country, the label needs a country of origin statement, and the Standard sets out the forms it may take — ‘Grown in’, ‘Produced in’, ‘Produce of’ or ‘Product of’, followed by the country. No kangaroo and no bar chart: those are for Australian food.
What it is not
The mark says where the food came from. It says nothing about nutrition, allergens or ingredients, and it substitutes for none of them. A pack with a perfect standard mark still owes a nutrition information panel, an ingredient list and its allergen declarations under the Food Standards Code.
Frequently asked questions
Is country of origin labelling part of the Food Standards Code?
No. It sits in the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, made under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, and it is enforced by the ACCC.
Which foods are non-priority foods?
Section 9 names them: seasonings, confectionary, biscuits and snack food, bottled water, soft drinks and sports drinks, tea and coffee, and alcoholic beverages.
When may I use the kangaroo logo?
When all of the food in the package was grown, produced or made in Australia.
This article is general information and does not replace legal advice. Quoted from the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 (F2016L00528, Compilation 2, in force 12 August 2017) on the Federal Register of Legislation.