Australian Consumers Ministers have voted in support of introducing mandatory country of origin labelling for seafood in hospitality settings (seafood CoOL) using the AIM model.

The changes will help consumers make informed decisions about the seafood they buy.

What are the changes?

Once implemented, hospitality businesses selling seafood will need to use the AIM model. This means, businesses will have to label seafood on menus, display boards and anywhere seafood is advertised, as Australian (A), imported (I) or of mixed origin (M).

Seafood CoOL will be implemented through a new information standard under the Australian Consumer Law.

Who is impacted?

If you own or manage a hospitality business, you will be required to provide information to consumers about the origin of seafood in dishes on your menu.

This includes any hospitality business such as:

  • restaurants
  • cafes
  • caterers
  • clubs.

Retail venues, supermarkets and grocery stores will not be impacted as they are already required to provide origin information.

What do I need to do?

You don’t need to make any changes yet. The Australian Government will work with the hospitality industry to implement Seafood CoOL. More information will be announced in 2024.

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