HUNDRED-year-old Australian business SPC says it will finally have its moment in the spotlight when new Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) regulations come into play on July 1.
The compulsory changes, which have been two years in the making, will now require companies to state on their products’ labels exactly where the goods are produced, grown, made or packed. Companies are also required to communicate what percentage of the ingredients come from Australia.
SPC marketing and innovation general manager Simone Coté said as an Australian company producing home-grown fruit and vegetables from Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, SPC welcomed the new regulations.
“As well as making it easier for consumers to reach for Australian produce, these new changes signify a levelling of the playing field for Australian producers as well as provide additional support for farmers, local production and jobs,” Ms Coté said.
“SPC supports the transparency these regulations bring, with Australians often mislead by the impression that certain packaged products are Australian, when in fact they’re not.
“We encourage people to look for this new bar coding system which signifies the percentage of Australian ingredients in their products, helping them make informed decisions when shopping for themselves and their families.”
When these regulations were first mooted by the federal government in 2016, SPC were already committed to showcasing their product origins – with the release of new labels across its brands and an accompanying social media campaign.
The campaign #myfamilycan used six real-life Victorian farming families to showcase to consumers the real faces and origins of their SPC favourites.
“SPC encourages Australians to buy local and support our Aussie farmers who are striving to produce the best products possible for families nation-wide,” Ms Coté said.
Australians will be able to see the full SPC range of products with Country of Origin labelling standards from July 1.
