Australia: Pork processor and Porkmark join forces

10-11-2010 | Home | News

The Brisbane Smallgoods Company (BSC) will have its brand of bacon “Aussie Farmer’s Choice” rindless middle bacon rashers, sporting the Australian PorkMark logo, in almost a thousand additional retail outlets across Australia.

BSC Director, Adam Purcell said, “the bacon packaging will display the hot pink Australian PorkMark logo incorporated with the slogan – “No imported pork… 100% Australian Pork.” “With major smallgoods processors using mainly overseas pork, I’m proud to be a small Australian owned company who supports solely Australian pork producers. I only hope the Australian public can support my company and the Australian farmers who have worked so very hard to produce this product.”

“For some time now, Australian pork producers and consumers have been battling ambiguous labeling laws. The hot pink Australian PorkMark logo is a guarantee to consumers that what is in the packet is 100 per cent Australian home grown and manufactured pork,” Mr Purcell said.

BSC have been using the PorkMark since 2009 and were the first QLD company to join the program. Every week, more than $10 million worth of pork imports totalling over 2.6 million kilograms of frozen pork, arrives by boat in Australia. This amount of subsidised imported pork equates to around 70 per cent of Australia’s ham, bacon and smallgoods consumption.

Australian Pork Limited CEO Andrew Spencer said “consumer research has shown that 96 per cent of Australians would prefer to buy Australian grown food if they could identify it. Consumers do this in order to support Australian farmers (97 per cent) with over 92 per cent of Australians believing that Australian meat is fresher, safer and better quality. Current country of origin labelling regulations makes it difficult for consumers to identify Australian pork versus imported pork.”

“Commonly used terms such as ‘Made in Australia’ can be used on products that can contain imported meat and this can become very confusing for consumers. The pink Australian PorkMark is your guarantee of Australian origin.” To-date there is 265 butchers and smallgoods manufacturers Australia wide that are licensed to

display the PorkMark logo on their products.

Source: Australian Pork
©