Imported food

[William]

On my recent trip to the supermarket, it seems that there many more products that are made or grown or fished overseas than even a few months back. I don't know about anyone else but there are certain things I won't buy that are imported. Number one being any kind of fish or seafood from certain countries.

[DiscoMick]

I think at least part of it is that the drive for profits by the supermarkets is so strong that they might be bypassing local suppliers because they can import it cheaper.

[richard4u2]

i usually shop at either of the big 2 but the area im in at the moment i have found the local iga shop that thier prices are within a few cents and some are the same price as the big 2 and the products are mostly australian made and thier servo is usually 2 cents cheaper then the big 2's stations and they give a 4 cents discount on top of that

[d@rk51d3]

Depends what I'm buying.

General day to day stuff, I'll go as local as I can.

But when it comes to certain specialty items, imports all the way.

[Homestar]

I try to buy local when I can and I NEVER shop at the big 2 supermarkets. My local Foodworks is locally owned - the owner actually runs the store, so if you need anything special, or any comments, he is very happy to help out - try and get that from the big 2, and they have a good range of Aussie produce - yeah, they are a little more expensive - only a few cents on most products, and they have heaps of good specials.

I know I buy parts from OS, so in a way I'm a bit of a hypocrite here, but they are only small in comparison to my food bill, and there are many suppliers of parts - While most still shop at the big 2 and want all their food cheap (not that it is), things will get worse in regard to having a selection of Aussie produce to choose from...

[MightyJosh]

I like to buy as much Aussie made as I can, within reason. Fresh fruit and veg are a big one for me, same as frozen veg. 1 million spend in Australian made employes 17 full time Australian jobs. I tend to do a lot of my shopping at ALDI as I find that a lot is Aussie made.
As for fish I am having one of my seldom Green moments, we are simply overfishing the waters. And while I do not support these stupid bans on recreational fishing. I do think we need to control commercial fishing a lot more then we do. Thing is if the world stopped fishing for just 4 years, there would be enough fish for the current population for another 50. Because if we don't then then stocks will die out and then a whole industry will collapses.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Fisheries World-wide are collapsing.

Most overseas caught fish, are caught in the waters of third countries anyway, the large multinational fishing companies are usually Chinese, Norwegian, South African or Russian owned and buy up small local fishing companies to acquire the quotas and fishing licences. Look what's happened in Chile and Peru, the local industry is collapsing while Chinese owned trawlers using local licences scour their seas and process the catch on large factory ships off shore.

At least with Australian caught fish, the trawlers are operating within quotas determined by Aust. Fisheries as sustainable. But only time will tell if that is true.

[rrturboD]

Made in New Zealand
Food labeling laws in NZ allow goods that have been imported, and repackages in NZ to wear this tag. Seems the Chinese producers have discovered this and are exploiting the system for goods they want to see on the Aussie market.
BIG concerns as although they promise the opposite, so many Chinese business enterprises have been caught out on QA. (Just recent report on collapse of RAAF hanger in Canberra blamed on dodgy bolts (sold as complying to Aussie Standars xyz etc)
We are now VERY wary of imported food, and I am sorry to say NZ foods too!

[loanrangie]

I totally detest imported foods of a kind that we produce here in quantity/ quality, lots of crap now being canned in china and its increasing all the time.
I'm not against goods produced in China in general but i dont trust their quality control when it comes to food stuffs and their high levels of pollution dont help.

[bee utey]

What I hate is the label "Packed in Australia, made from local and imported ingredients", how about a breakdown of this stunning statement??? Manufacturers seem to weasel their way out of identifying the country of origin in any way possible.

[William]

Made in New Zealand
Food labeling laws in NZ allow goods that have been imported, and repackages in NZ to wear this tag. Seems the Chinese producers have discovered this and are exploiting the system for goods they want to see on the Aussie market.
BIG concerns as although they promise the opposite, so many Chinese business enterprises have been caught out on QA. (Just recent report on collapse of RAAF hanger in Canberra blamed on dodgy bolts (sold as complying to Aussie Standars xyz etc)
We are now VERY wary of imported food, and I am sorry to say NZ foods too!

Yes even the likes of Subway import the dough that becomes their rolls is imported frozen from China (a mate of mine unloads the containers). They do like to say that they are freshly baked, just not their origin.

[ugu80]

Thank you Dick Smith Foods. I don't have to put on my glasses to scour the packaging to know it's all Aussie.

Don't know if its true, but I once read that if it's labelled "From imported and Australian" there can be almost no Aussie produce in it, but if it reads "From Australian and imported" it must be at least 50% Aussie produce. Anyone know if there actually is a difference?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

What I hate is the label "Packed in Australia, made from local and imported ingredients", how about a breakdown of this stunning statement??? Manufacturers seem to weasel their way out of identifying the country of origin in any way possible.And our supposed Government seems to be supporting them by not introducing labeling laws that include source countries and GM products.

[Bigbjorn]

At least six canneries and frozen food processors around Brisbane have closed or been taken over, stripped and closed in the last couple of decades. Latest is that Heinz took over Golden Circle and closed the beetroot processing line. 90% of Australia's beetroot is grown around Gatton, 40 miles away. The crop now has to travel 600 miles to Cowra. Can you make sense of that? Cowra's asparagus processing line was closed. Virtually all Australia's processed asparagus now comes from Peru & China, and a little from New Zealand.

[350RRC]

As for fish I am having one of my seldom Green moments, we are simply overfishing the waters. And while I do not support these stupid bans on recreational fishing. I do think we need to control commercial fishing a lot more then we do. Thing is if the world stopped fishing for just 4 years, there would be enough fish for the current population for another 50. Because if we don't then then stocks will die out and then a whole industry will collapses.

Hi Josh,

From memory there are something like 600 different commercial fisheries in Oz. (by species and / or gear type). Only about 9 are in any sort of 'trouble'.

They are all stringently managed at a Federal or State level, or both, to ensure they are, at the very least, sustainable.

Australians should be very proud of this. Have a look at the FRDC website for more details.

DL

[101RRS]

Only about 9 are in any sort of 'trouble'.

They are all stringently managed at a Federal or State level, or both, to ensure they are, at the very least, sustainable.

Australians should be very proud of this. Have a look at the FRDC website for more details.

DL

Don't believe everything you read. There are so many competing interests and lobby groups that the end result may be more political than in the long term interests of some fisheries.

[Tank]

I used to cart reefer containers from CTAL Botany to Edgell/birdseye loaded with 20tonnes of frozen fish. They were in ice slabs about the size of a slab of beer, some would be broken/shattered, some had whole chooks (feathers and all), snakes, and frogs. Was told that in the parts of Asia/ Indo China/Vietnam they would drain swamps and pick up the dead fish and whatever and freeze them in blocks. The insides of the containers were filthy, mud on the floors and walls (footprints and handprints).
When you consider any food from 3rd world countries, remember this they still use banned chemicals like Agent Orange to clear, DDT and other banned chemicals for insect control and it ends up in the food chain.
Imports don't have strict laws enforcing safe, quality food like Australian growers have to abide by. So next time you buy food for your kids and you buy imports, just think what are they really eating, Buy Australian ONLY, Regards Frank.

[bigcarle]

one time i had to transport a reefer container full of Indonesian prawns :ofrom a transport depot at Salisbury to Markwells Tweed Heads which was a seafood factory of local products, it even at one stage had their own fleet of trawlers.
the container had juice running out of it :o:o and after a futile trip to the Tweed i then had to drive back to Hemmant to unload and find out how much damage had been done, 4 boxes all up ended up bad, full day from 7am untill around 6pm :D

[Tank]

Also used to cart reefers of frozen vegies to Woolworths out somewhere near Regents Park, as they were unloading the packets of Watties mixed vegies (NZ) were being opened and dropped into a hopper then into Woolworths Home Brand (marked Product of Australia). By the time I was unloaded the whole load was transformed from Watties NZ to Woolies home brand, then they would load the lot back into the reefer and I would take it out to Davis Holdings the distrubuter. I now wonder if the vegies were originally from China or elsewhere, bastards, Regards Frank.

[wannabeexplorer]

What I hate is the label "Packed in Australia, made from local and imported ingredients", how about a breakdown of this stunning statement??? Manufacturers seem to weasel their way out of identifying the country of origin in any way possible.

Hehehe, agreed! The only local ingredient is salt, or the tiny but of local air inside the packaging ;)

[MightyJosh]

We really need a federal law on all goods in this country to have the Australian Made symbol on the front of the packed. And if it is a repacked item then to say repacked. If the Muslim community can have halal stamp on everything from meat to strawberry jam, then a source of origin needs to be placed on atleast food stuffs.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

We really need a federal law on all goods in this country to have the Australian Made symbol on the front of the packed. And if it is a repacked item then to say repacked. If the Muslim community can have halal star on everything from meet to strawberry jam, them a source of origin needs to be placed on alleast food stuffs.The halal star, is a marketing strategy to increase sales the companies opt into, not something that is legislated.

Companies are not into anything that has the potential to decrease sales or reduce margins, hence they will fight boots and all to prevent accurate food labeling laws.

Just out of interest, who would make food choices based on the presence of a Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Buddist symbol?

[Bigbjorn]

The halal star, is a marketing strategy to increase sales the companies opt into, not something that is legislated.

Companies are not into anything that has the potential to decrease sales or reduce margins, hence they will fight boots and all to prevent accurate food labeling laws.

Just out of interest, who would make food choices based on the presence of a Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Buddist symbol?

I buy kosher dill pickles as they are crisp and others are soft.

The halal butcher shops around here stink to high heaven.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I buy kosher dill pickles as they are crisp and others are soft.

The halal butcher shops around here stink to high heaven.Then you should boycott items with the halal star and if others do it just wait and see if the companies continue to pay the Islamic council for the star!

[ramblingboy42]

We really need a federal law on all goods in this country to have the Australian Made symbol on the front of the packed. And if it is a repacked item then to say repacked. If the Muslim community can have halal stamp on everything from meat to strawberry jam, then a source of origin needs to be placed on atleast food stuffs.

isnt it interesting how things can turn around and bite you on the arse....the Australian Democrats had a huge battle with the then National Food Authority (which, by the way, they were winning, due to successful public forums, opinion polls and protests) to correctly identify and label all foods and drugs and processed items...such as items put through an irradiator, but the Australian public decided the Democrats werent a viable political party....the NFA or whatever they are now called must be laughing because no-one else has the guts these days to launch such an important campaign against these companies.

[Bigbjorn]

Then you should boycott items with the halal star and if others do it just wait and see if the companies continue to pay the Islamic council for the star!

Where did I say I bought anything halal?

Kosher dill pickles are nicer than polski ogorki, gherkins, salzdillgerken etc. That is why I buy them. They are the closest thing you can get to a New York deli pickle in Australia.

I wouldn't go into a halal butcher shop going by the ones around Brisbane. I reckon you are likely to catch something just breathing in the air as you walk past. They all stink!

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Maybe I should have said those who are annoyed by religous labeling on food packages should boycott such manufacturers.

I know the other day when I bought a frozen family meat pie at a local shop, the owner came running after me to ask if I'd mind buying the one not branded with the halal label. It seems that his other customers have problems buying filthy infadel foods. :o

There's a rumour that I'll be asked to wear a burka next time I walk down the street so that I show sensitivity to their cultural beliefs. Not actually true, because I'm protected by the local Greek Orthodox community who won't have a bar of the Labanese Muslins (I'm the token protestant).

[Bigbjorn]

Maybe I should have said those who are annoyed by religous labeling on food packages should boycott such manufacturers.

I know the other day when I bought a frozen family meat pie at a local shop, the owner came running after me to ask if I'd mind buying the one not branded with the halal label. It seems that his other customers have problems buying filthy infadel foods. :o

There's a rumour that I'll be asked to wear a burka next time I walk down the street so that I show sensitivity to their cultural beliefs. Not actually true, because I'm protected by the local Greek Orthodox community who won't have a bar of the Labanese Muslins (I'm the token protestant).

I thought you were the last woman left in Arncliffe who didn't wear a bag over her head. There are others?

[Mudsloth]

If you really want to make sure your buying Australian grown start doing the rounds of the farmers markets and buy your meet from the butchers. It's actually amazingly easy to can your own vegies/fruit/ or whatever. You could even try growing your OWN vegies. Another problem we face is the amount of farming land owned outright by foreign interests as well as processing plants. I honestly believe our Government can not see the impact that this selling off is going to have. One positive though, I grow garlic and have found that most restaurants and alot of people avoid the Chinese garlic like the plague. I wish this attitude would transfer over to everything else.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I thought you were the last woman left in Arncliffe who didn't wear a bag over her head. There are others?Yes the Chinese and Greek Macedonians.

Why is it that every day we see lots of Asian faces in the street, on public transport etc but on voting day, there are hardly any voting? :confused:

[DiscoMick]

If you buy a shrimp, it probably came from a shrimp farm near where we used to live in Thailand. Those farms were emptied every few months, cleaned out and limed. I'd happily eat a shrimp from there any day.

[MightyJosh]

The point I was making is they a minority and minorities are forcing change. And while change can be a good thing, it should be in the hands of the community and the people through elections and our democratic system. No one voted the Greens into government, so why are they now dictating to the Government on a Carbon/ Mining Tax. With religious groups who are in the minority, they should not have the right to dictated the food produces on their stamp or religious marking on food. These stamps cost money to have, therefor increasing the price. The majority of the people to whom are not of these faiths now have to buy products marked for these groups.

[DiscoMick]

But that's how the world works. It's always the minorities who cause change, until eventually the community either accepts or rejects the idea. Ideas start with one person and spread or die.