New research has revealed Australians want to know more about the origin of the food they’re consuming, with 93 per cent of Australians believing all food should have clear labelling detailing where their food was sourced.
Food Traceability, a new study commissioned by Australian-owned free range chicken producer Lilydale, shows animal welfare and food safety are the key drivers for consumers wanting to understand exactly where their food comes from.
The survey found 71 per cent of consumers are interested in knowing more specific details of the farms from which their meat was sourced.
Further, most consumers (96 per cent) want food sourced from within Australia, and 70 per cent want to know where it originated.
As many as 70 per cent of Australians are concerned about the risk of disease being imported from overseas food product, while 81 per cent are also concerned about lower standards and regulations on imported foods.
Tracing origins back to the farm
As consumers pay closer attention to food purchases, food producers such Lilydale have responded, giving Australians the opportunity to trace each pack of Lilydale chicken back to the farm it came from.
Lilydale spokesperson, Anna Wesser said: “We’re proud of our home-grown produce so we wanted to introduce labelling that allows our customers to trace the source of the chicken right down to the very farm it was grown on.
“Ninety one per cent of people believe traceability information needs to be included on meat products because of their growing interest in the produce they are consuming,” Ms Wesser said.
“We’re so proud of the calibre of farmers who grow Lilydale free range chickens, so we have featured them on our packs, and have given Australians the opportunity to find out more about them.”
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But how many people are actually aware of where the food that they buy is sourced?