Regional Branding of Food Products & Food Geographical Indications

Presentation Information:

This presentation analyses the current laws and regulations in Australia that regulate the use of Australian regional names on food products to make origin claims. It identifies their deficiencies, and problems resulting from them, for Australian regional food producers and the wider Australian food and agrifood industries.

Dr Zito discusses the current regulation of Australian regional names on wine labels in order to highlight the vast differences that exist, under current Australian laws, in the regulation of the use of regional names on food labels to make origin claims, compared to the use of  regional names on wine labels, in the form of Geographical Indicators, to make origin claims.

Dr Zito proposes that there is a strong case for the implementation of a sui generis food Geographical Indication framework in Australia in order to overcome the deficiencies identified with current Australian laws and regulations.

Dr Zito explains that the proposal for an Australian sui generis food Geographical Indication framework is not only important at a national level, but also equally important at an international level, especially in the context of the recently commenced negotiations with the European Union in relation to the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement.

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