Noose tightens on dodgy fish sellers

The Association applauds industry leaders Con and Theodore Patsiotis, from the Australian Seafood Fish and Chippery in North Coburg who have publically called for country of origin labelling laws for cooked fish. The Australian Seafood Fish and Chippery was recently ranked as one Melbourne’s top 10 fish and chip shops.

There are already laws in place that require the labelling of raw seafood as Australian or imported. However, somehow sellers of cooked seafood in all States other than the Northern Territory have escaped these laws.

The announcement by the Patsiotises comes after the recent Senate enquiry that recommended country of origin labelling for cooked seafood.

It has taken the Australian seafood industry decades to build brand names like flathead, ling and flake. These names now signify freshness, great taste, amazing health benefits and sustainability. These brands must be protected. Consumers have a right to know what they are eating.

The Association believes that mandatory labelling of cooked seafood as Australian or imported would have other consumer benefits.  It would see the average price of seafood decrease because consumers would refuse to pay premium prices for fish they believed was fresh and local, when it was actually a frozen imported product that was up to 18 months old.