Consumers want more readily visible country-of-origin labels on product packaging, plus clearer government regulations and greater standardisation of country of origin labelling generally, according to a recent Roy Morgan poll.
The Australian Made Campaign commissioned the research which revealed what consumers want when it comes to Australian made and grown products.
Nearly half (40.3 per cent) of all consumers surveyed said they found it difficult to identify whether a product is Australian made or grown.
The report found that the Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo gives the vast majority (88pc) of Australian consumers’ strong confidence that a product is Australian.
“With recognition of the logo at an all-time high of 98pc, the AMAG logo is still the country-of-origin identifier Australian consumers know and trust best,” Australian Made chief executive, Ian Harrison said.
The report’s investigation into consumer preferences for buying Australian made or grown (versus imported alternatives) found that the main reason given for buying local products was to support Australian growers and manufacturers.
While the outlook seems bright for the food and beverage industries, with 87pc of Australians demonstrating a strong preference for buying Australian made or grown food and beverages, this was not the case for other product categories, with the majority of Australian consumers proving largely indifferent about the country of origin of their furniture, clothing, hardware and household appliances.
“We know Australian consumers want to support our local growers and manufacturers – but if they’re serious about doing that they need to change their purchase behaviours,” Mr Harrison said.
“If they remain indifferent about where their products come from, more manufacturing and processing will move offshore, putting Australians across many industries out of work.”
Source: farmonline.com.au
