Seafood menus across Australia are set for a major shake-up, with diners set to be told exactly where their fish comes from under new national labelling laws.
From Wednesday, restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaway shops must label seafood dishes under a new mandatory system designed to give customers more transparency and take the guesswork out of ordering.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: New seafood labels reveal fish origins nationwide
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The system uses three simple letters: A for Australian, I for imported, and M for mixed for a combination of the two.
“So if you’re getting your delivery, I won’t name the delivery companies, but if you’re getting your delivery to your door and you’re getting fish and chips, that fish should have A, I or M,” Fisheries Minister Julie Collins said.
At Hobart’s waterfront institution Mures, the system is already second nature. The restaurant has been labelling their fish for years.
“This new law kind of puts us, or puts restaurants, in an even playing field and gives customers transparency when they’re choosing where they’re getting their seafood from,” general manager Eve Mures said.
Staff said the labelling takes the guesswork out of what to order for customers.
“It’s probably more for tourists, and they come in and it’s nice for them to see exactly where the fish are,” fisherman Wilson Mure said.
The federal government is pitching the change as more transparency for diners and a boost to Australia’s $3 billion seafood industry.
“So this is important information for Australians,” Collins said. “It has been in testing for a while now.”
