As families prepare to load up their Christmas lunch tables with plenty of seafood, the nation's peak body representing Australia's commercial fishing industry has reinforced its position on transparency in labelling.
A report by The Sunday Project in November on fish species mislabelling highlighted issues with imported seafood being passed off as more familiar Australian species, according to Seafood Industry Australia CEO Jane Lovell.
She said while the sample size used in the story was quite small, the results were very disappointing.
Of 24 samples of fish purchased from a range of restaurants, supermarkets, takeaway shops and fish markets in Sydney and Melbourne, DNA testing revealed 50 per cent of them were labelled as something else when sold.
"The story did not trace back along the supply chain to find the source of the mislabelling," Ms Lovell said.
"It is possible the product was incorrectly named when imported into Australia.
"The problem is, this undermines trust in our product, to the detriment of local fishers and seafood businesses that are doing the right thing."
SIA has been lobbying for Country of Origin Labelling for seafood in the food service sector for many years.
As well as calling for a more stringent inspection process, Ms Lovell said the industry had launched its own commitment to truthful labelling, as shown by the Australian prawn industry's launch of a new world-first traceability program that verifies provenance to a forensic standard.
The Australian barramundi industry is also on its way to embracing technology that will provide transparency along the supply chain.
Ms Lovell said it was the role of the regulators, the inspectors of imported foods, health inspectors, and Australia's legal system to investigate and prosecute illegal activity such as mislabelling.
"More needs to be done to give the consumer the information they deserve about the food they are eating.
"Research has shown that asking the waiter doesn't work, with 66 per cent not being able to give a credible answer when asked about the origin of the seafood they were selling."
She said it was time the rest of Australia caught up to the seafood labelling laws the Northern Territory brought in over a decade ago.
"It's time for mandatory Country of Origin Labelling for seafood in food service."
New labelling laws that would mean any business selling seafood for immediate consumption had to identify where the product originated, have been on the LNP's policy platform for the past year.
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said such a move would promote local produce and boost Queensland's fishing industries as well as give consumers easy access to information that would enable them to make informed decisions about what seafood to purchase.
Around 70 per cent of seafood consumed by Australians is currently imported.
"All we would have to do is make an amendment to the Food Act 2006 - so our policy won't cost taxpayers a cent," Ms Frecklington said.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
