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Seafood labelling laws are changing for hospitality businesses
There are new country of origin labeling rules for hospitality businesses.
From 1 July 2026, you'll need to tell customers if the seafood you serve is Australian, imported or both.
Watch a video about the new rules
[Music starts. A cartoon picture of a cafe appears. The word ‘Bistro’ and a large fish are mounted on the roof of the building. Lights are strung across the front of the building and there is a fishtank containing a lobster, prawn and 2 other fish. There is a menu on the front wall. A chef wearing blue trousers and a white chef’s coat and hat enters from the left. They are smiling and holding a bowl of lobsters and prawns.]
Narrator: Food labelling rules for seafood in the hospitality industry are changing.
[We zoom in on the menu, which has images, names and prices of dishes.]
Narrator: Hospitality businesses will need to label all seafood dishes using the AIM model. The reason for using the AIM model is to show the origin of seafood.
[We shift to a close-up of the fish tank showing the fish, then zoom out to show a cartoon image of the world, with the fish moving to different locations around Australia and Asia.]
Narrator: Dishes containing seafood will need to be labelled with an A for Australian, I for imported or M for mixed origin.
[The menu reappears. A magnifying glass zooms in on individual menu items: Grilled Salmon (A), Seafood Paella (I) and Seafood Platter (M). Boxes pop out to explain what each letter stands for.]
Narrator: This labelling should be clearly visible on menus or display boards.
[An A-frame menu board appears showing a menu of dishes with the AIM labelling. It zooms out to show a man and a woman beside the board, which is outside a cafe. They both look curious and engaged. The woman is pointing to the board.]
Narrator: The changes will help customers make informed choices about the dishes they eat.
[The scene changes to 2 smiling people sitting at a table inside a restaurant and drinking red wine. One of them is holding a menu. A smiling waiter with a pen and pad is taking their order. On the wall behind them is a menu board showing dishes and prices.]
Narrator: For more information about the new information standard, the transition period and to access guidance materials, visit business.gov.au/seafoodlabels.
[A magnifying glass zooms in on a poster with a lobster and some text on it. It moves over boxes showing ‘A = Australia’, ‘I = Imported’ and ‘M = Mixed origin’. It then moves over a QR code and zooms in further to highlight the words ‘Find out more at business.gov.au/seafoodlabels’.]
[The video ends with the Australian Government coat of arms. Music stops.]
What you need to do
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Labelling seafood in your hospitality business
Find out what dishes the rules apply to and how to label them.
Latest updates and information
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Country of origin labelling for seafood in hospitality settings will be mandatory from 1 July 2026.