A new proposed law will make it easy for Aussies to tell if the fish they’re buying from their local fish and chip shop is local or imported.
The Albanese government proposed a Country of Origin labelling (CoOL) model for seafood, which would see all fish and chip shops has a simple letter next to each menu item that tells the customer where the fish comes from.
For example, if a customer ordered some snapper from their fish and chip shop, the fish would either have the letter A for Australian, I for imported and M for mixed origin next to it.
“[It] is absolutely straightforward for consumers,” he told Sunrise of the new system.
“It’ll be a very simple thing for the industry to comply with.”
“Making seafood labelling clearer, simpler and mandatory will mean people will know if they are purchasing premium local produce.”
Currently, customers are able to ask about the origin of their seafood, however, many customers don’t think to do so.
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“Consumers can also ask for origin information at any time. However, there has not been significant voluntary uptake and origin information available to consumers is limited,” the proposal says.
If you’re looking for the best chips in the country, you shouldn’t go past Costa’s Seafood Cafe in Capalaba, Queensland. Last year, Seafood Industry Australia analyzed 300,000 votes and awarded the local shop the crown of best fish and chips.
Other state winners included Something Seafood in Callala Bay for New South Wales and the Trisent Fish Bar in Queenscliff in Victoria.
Further south into Tasmania, Fraggles in Invermay was the most popular. In Canberra, the Fish Shack in Civic claimed the number one position. The Fish Shack narrowly pulled ahead by 10 votes to nab the crown.
For South Australia, the winner was Fish out of Water in Hyde park, and the Northern Territory saw Frying Nemo Fish and Chippery in Stuart Park take first place.
In Western Australia, Pinjarra Fish and Chips in Pinjarra for the most amount of votes.
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