It said the committee had listened to farmers’ concerns on how consumer law legitimised confusing country of origin claims such as the use of ‘Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients’.

NSW Farmers’ horticulture spokesman Peter Darley said labelling should accurately reflect the origin of food products and its ingredients as well as where processing has occurred.

He said country of origin labelling was important to ensure the market rewarded the quality, safety and ethical attributes of Australian grown and processed produce.

“We are pleased the committee has agreed that better protocols are needed to ensure the arrangements under which Australia accepts New Zealand’s food labelling laws do not lead to consumer confusion,” Mr Darley said.

“Our association also supports the recommendation to implement a visual icon on food labels that will quickly enable consumers to determine whether the ingredients within the product are mostly of Australian origin.

“A more standardised and simplified labelling system for Australian ingredients will not only clarify products for consumers, but it will also help promote the Australian agriculture industry in the domestic market.

“After all, we want consumers to be informed about the choices they are making and to recognise for themselves the high quality of Australian produce,” Mr Darley concluded.

The inquiry looked to identify ways in which food labelling is misleading to consumers and what remedies were available to clarify this. After receiving over 50 submissions and conducting several hearings on the matter, the committee’s report made eight recommendations into country of origin labelling.