Noosa 360

We have been contacted by constituents with concerns following the recent ABC Four Corners investigation into alleged food fraud, product mislabelling and food safety issues in Australia’s food supply chain. Concerns raised included reports of food authenticity breaches, substituted meat products and instances where independent testing did not align with product labelling.

Given the integrated nature of food supply chains across Australia, constituents sought assurances that Queensland consumers can have confidence in the safety, authenticity and accurate labelling of food products sold within the state, as well as information on any additional measures being considered by the Queensland Government.

To seek clarification, we contacted the offices of the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services and the Minister for Primary Industries, who provided the following responses in italics:

The Government recognises that consumers expect food products sold in Queensland to be safe, authentic, and accurately labelled. Maintaining public confidence in the food supply is important, not only for consumer protection, but also for supporting reputable producers, retailers, and the broader food industry.

Queensland has a regulatory framework in place to help ensure food offered for sale is compliant with relevant food safety and labelling requirements. Food businesses must meet their obligations under food legislation, including requirements relating to the sale of safe and suitable food and compliance with applicable food standards. These arrangements are supported through monitoring, compliance and enforcement activities undertaken by relevant authorities.

Food fraud can take a range of forms, including the substitution, dilution, misrepresentation, or false labelling of food products for economic gain. Such conduct is taken seriously because it can mislead consumers, undermine fair trading and, in some cases, may create food safety risks.

Consumers in Queensland can be assured that there are established systems to support the integrity of food sold within the state. These include:

• food safety laws and standards applying to food businesses;
• labelling requirements designed to help ensure consumers receive accurate information about food products;
• compliance, investigation, and enforcement mechanisms where potential breaches are identified; and
• collaboration between state, local and national regulators on food safety and food standards matters.

 

It is also important to note that matters relating to imported food and country of origin labelling are dealt with by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has responsibility for enforcing Australian Consumer Law requirements, including country of origin representations, and plays a key role in addressing misleading claims about imported food products. Where concerns arise about the authenticity or labelling of food products, they may be referred to the appropriate regulatory authority for assessment and action as required.

In relation to whether additional measures are being considered, the Government is aware of the concerns raised by the ABC Four Corners investigation and will continue to work with relevant regulators to assess any issues relevant to Queensland.

In response to questions regarding potential improvements to Queensland’s food safety framework, the Office of the Minister for Primary Industries advised that the Department of Primary Industries is currently reviewing the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000 to ensure Queensland’s regulatory framework remains:

…contemporary, effective, and adaptable to emerging risks and issues in primary production.

The office of Minister for Primary Industries also advised that Queensland is a signatory to the recently updated Intergovernmental Agreement on Food Regulation, which aims to strengthen Australia’s food regulation system through national collaboration on food safety and food standards matters.

We appreciate the responses provided by both Ministerial offices and hope this information assists in addressing constituent concerns regarding the safeguards and oversight currently in place to protect Queensland consumers.

We will continue to monitor this matter and provide updates should further information become available.

Further Information

Should you wish to advocate directly with the Ministers responsible for this issue, you can contact:

The Minister for Health and Ambulance Services at: health@ministerial.qld.gov.au

The Minister for Primary Industries at: primaryindustries@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Please copy our office via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward any responses you receive.

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