HELP US: Latrobe MP Jason Wood is helping (from left) Anthony, Bart and Gae Failla from Gembrook to lobby for less ambiguous labelling standards so that Australian produce is By SHAUN INGUANZO
GEMBROOK potato farmers fear their industry will be crippled if food manufacturers using imported produce continue to promote their products as Australianmade.
The concerns come as Latrobe MP Jason Wood is campaigning for Federal, State and the New Zealand governments to use their votes in favour of clearer food labelling at the 28 October Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Food Council (FSANZ) ministerial meeting.
Gae and Bart Failla have made a living from farming spuds in Gembrook, with what Ms Failla said are some of the ‘tastiest’ potatoes in the state.
But the quality now bears little relevance for the Failla family as food manufacturers continue to use imported potatoes for their products, yet mark them as Australiamade.
The issue entered the public eye after last week’s call for families to boycott McDonald’s French fries by Family First senator Steven Fielding because the company was using imported potatoes from McCain Foods in New Zealand.
But Mr Failla said while McDonald’s was embroiled in controversy, other companies were continuing to label their products as Australianmade from imported ingredients.
Ms Failla said this confused people who wanted to support Australian produce industries.
“I think there has to be a standardised way of labelling,” she said.
The Faillas’ son, Anthony, said if local industry was not supported, there would be a flood of products on the Australian produce market, pushing sale prices down.
“There would be too many potatoes and everyone (local farmers) would be undercutting just to get the sale.”
He said there had already been a significant price drop over the past 12 months which had impacted on the family business.
Mr Failla the business would not survive if the downward trend perpetuated.
The Faillas said Gembrook hosted 44 potato farmers over a decade ago but now had just 11 after the industry was plagued with chemical spray and disease problems during the 1990s.
Australian Vegetable and Potato Growers’ Association (AUSVEG) chairman Michael Badcock said the federation was lobbying to change labelling standards that despite several recent drafts did not address this issue.
“This is the third draft of proposed new labelling rules and their (FSANZ) inability to respond to what consumers are demanding is verging on being negligent.”
“(Consumers) don’t want to know where their mixed vegies are packed, but where they were grown.”
