The logo, which features a green and gold kangaroo, is an extension of the Australian Made campaign, established over 20 years ago, and so is expected to have immediate resonance with consumers. In launching the initiative in Sydney last week, Peter McGauran, minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry, said that farmers have been campaigning for clearer food labels for some time. Given the amount of information that is contained on food product labels, the country of origin can sometimes be hard to tell at a glance. "Consumers have almost been required a PhD and a magnifying glass to identify the food products that contain Australian produce," he said. It is expected that the logo will help boost sales of home-grown foods in the country. Bob Baldwin, parliamentary secretary to the minister for industry, tourism and resources, said earlier this year that globalization has opened up the Australian produce sector to imports, and small and medium Australian businesses have found it hard to compete. The Australian Grown logo can only be used on products and produce that meet the criteria set out in the Australian Made campaign's revised code of practice, and which are registered with the Campaign. Crucially, the 'significant ingredients' must hail from Australia, and all the production processes must have taken place there too. The Australian government has pledged up to Aus $1.7m to promote the new logo. Recent research from Roy Morgan Market Research in late 2006 indicating that two-thirds of Australians make a conscious choice to buy Australian goods wherever possible. But the new logo will also have repercussions on a world-wide basis, since Australian exporters will also be able to use it in overseas markets.
