Priority versus non-priority foods under the new Country of Origin Labelling scheme

One of the biggest legal distinctions created under the new Consumer Information Standard is whether a food product is classified as a “priority food” or not. This classification can impact whether a food product needs to be re-labelled come July 2018. It impacts the compliance burden required when re-labelling. It can even impact on products which contain no Australian ingredients and have not even been packed in Australia. This article explores the compliance obligations and the regulatory risks involved in classifying your products while also querying the Department of Industry’s legislative approach.