AUSVEG has launched its ‘Check & Choose’ campaign, urging consumers to check country-of-origin labels on packaging and choose Australian-grown vegetables when buying canned and frozen products.
The campaign will run online and through AUSVEG’s communication channels, as the organisation raises concerns about imported processed vegetables competing with Australian growers.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regulations require labels to disclose whether a product was grown, produced, made or packed in Australia, as well as the proportion of Australian ingredients. The green kangaroo triangle logo can help consumers identify products of Australian origin.
AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote said grower surveys found that 88 per cent of respondents were financially worse off than a year earlier, with unviable returns among the top five reasons growers intended to leave the industry.
“Alarmingly, four out of five growers are considering leaving the industry in the next 12 months or would consider leaving if they had a viable exit strategy,” Coote said.
“Supporting Australian vegetable growers is vital for safeguarding the industry and the country’s food security.”
Coote said the cost-of-living crisis had led consumers to switch to frozen and canned vegetables because they were convenient and cost-effective, and could help reduce household food waste.
“This campaign is about making sure Australian-grown, value-added products are front of mind with Australian shoppers,” he said.
The campaign complements AUSVEG’s existing ‘Plus One Serve’ initiative, which encourages Australians to increase their vegetable consumption. ‘Check & Choose’ extends this focus to Australian-grown processed vegetables.
AUSVEG said 98 per cent of the fresh vegetables consumed in Australia were grown domestically, and called on consumers to support Australian growers and food manufacturers by checking labels when buying packaged and frozen produce.
