New Country of Origin Labelling starts 1 July 2026
New country of origin labelling laws for businesses that sell seafood for immediate consumption take effect on 1 July 2026.
All businesses must display an (A) for Australian, (I) for imported, or (M) for mixed origin (known as the AIM model) on their menus or boards for all seafood dishes. You will also need to include a legend to show what each letter stands for.
For mixed dishes, you can choose to label each seafood ingredient with an A or I instead. You can also use more detailed text instead of a single letter. The text must include the word ‘Australian’, ‘imported’ or ‘mixed’.
If you only sell Australian seafood, or just imported seafood, you can make a single statement such as: We only sell Australian seafood, or All seafood is imported.
Businesses must keep records proving the origin of their seafood for 3 months from the date they last offered it to customers. This includes invoices or receipts, emails from suppliers and photos of packaging that show the country of origin. Seafood retailers and wholesalers supplying hospitality businesses must provide them with the country of origin information they need to meet their labelling obligations.
More detailed information on the new labelling laws can be found in the Seafood CoOL resource kit (attached) and by visiting the information page: business.gov.au/products-and-services/product-labelling/seafood-labelling-laws-are-changing-for-hospitality-businesses/labelling-seafood-in-your-hospitality-business
New food safety laws start on 8 December 2023
From 8 December 2023, all food businesses in Australia that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food need to meet new food safety requirements in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The new national Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools in the Food Standards Code establishes 2 categories of businesses and introduces 3 mandatory food safety management tools. Category one includes cooked seafood businesses (takeaways, restaurants, and cafes), and category two includes fresh seafood retailers.
Tool 1 – Food handler training (Cooked businesses and fresh retailers)
All food handlers must either complete a food safety training course or be able to demonstrate adequate skills and knowledge in food safety and hygiene. “A business can recognise a food handler’s prior learning – such as competency-based food safety training, in-house education, or a food safety induction course completed at another food business”. A free online food safety training course developed by NSW Food Authority is available at: https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/training/food-handler-basics-training
Tool 2 – Appointing a Food Safety Supervisor (Cooked businesses and fresh retailers)
All businesses must appoint a Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) who will be responsible for managing onsite food safety risks. To be a FSS you must be certified by an approved Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and receive a FSS certificate from the NSW Food Authority. The NSW Food Authority requires that certification must be undertaken by one of the RTOs listed on the NSW Food Authority website: https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/retail/fss-food-safety-supervisors/training-organisations
Tool 3 – Record keeping for category one businesses (Cooked businesses only)
Category one businesses must be able to show they are safely receiving, storing, processing, displaying, and transporting potentially hazardous food, and for cleaning and sanitising. Businesses can meet this requirement by:
- keeping records, and/or
- demonstrating safe food practices. This may include physically demonstrating an activity such as sanitising equipment or measuring temperature, or training staff on a standard operating procedure and talking/walking through that procedure with an authorised officer.
Records must be kept for at least 3 months and can include: notes on invoices (e.g. temperature of food received), data logger information in a graph, photos or video footage, and information recorded in any other way and kept for the required amount of time. If making records, the information should include the date (and time, if appropriate) the record was made and which food or activity it relates to.
Exemptions
Food businesses that only wholesale or hold a NSW Food Authority licence (i.e. seafood processors) are exempt.
Further information can be found at:
NSW Food Authority – https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/retail/standard-322a-food-safety-management-tools
Food Standards Australia New Zealand – https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodsafety/standards/Pages/Overview.aspx