When making certain claims about the country of origin of products, businesses must meet specific criteria.
The criteria apply to claims about country, not region - for example, they do not apply to ‘made in Tasmania’ or ‘made in California’.
The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) allows businesses to make certain country of origin claims if the products meet certain criteria. However, there will be some country of origin claims that do not fall within one of the descriptions below. Businesses can still make those claims, provided they are not false or misleading.
‘Grown in’ claims
A supplier can claim a product was ‘grown in’ a certain country if:
- each significant ingredient or significant component of the product was grown in that country, and
- all, or virtually all, production or manufacturing processes happened in that country.
‘Produce of’ claims
A supplier can claim a product is ‘produce of’ a certain country if:
- each significant ingredient or significant component of the product originated in that country, and
- all, or virtually all, production or manufacturing processes happened in that country.
‘Made in’ claims
A supplier can claim a product was ‘made in’ claim, ‘manufactured in’, or make another origin claim if:
- the goods were last substantially transformed in that country, and
- the claim is not a ‘grown in’, or ‘produce of’ claim.
For more information, see Substantial transformation