A former Australian Health Minister, Dr Neal Blewett AC, chaired the review panel, which undertook a comprehensive examination of food labelling law and policy. Brief submissions were made by interested stakeholders late last year to determine what would be considered as part of the Review. The BAWP made such a preliminary submission.

On 5 March 2010, the food labelling review panel published an Issues Consultation Paper. Submissions on the paper closed on 14 May 2010. The BAWP made a considered submission, a copy of which can be viewed in the list of attachments below.

On 28 January 2011 the food labelling review panel officially presented the Final Report to the Hon Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, as the Chair of the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. The Final Report Labelling Logic was publicly released on the same day, a copy of which can be viewed in the list of attachments below.

The Final Report – although acknowledging the changing attitudes of consumers towards food labelling and animal welfare – recommends that ‘the relevant livestock industries consider the benefit of establishing agreed standards under the auspices of Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand for terms related to animal husbandry (e.g., ‘free range’, ‘barn laid’ and ‘caged’ in the case of poultry)’.

In other words, the Final Report recommends that any regulatory action in terms of animal welfare standards in food labelling should be initiated and self-managed by industry.

Browse the articles below relating to food labelling laws:

Battery hens. Source: Animals Australia

Sow stalls. Source: Animals Australia