The campaign is using research commissioned by Australian dairy co-operative Norco to inform the discussion.
The research has identified confusion in the marketplace, with an overwhelming number of Aussie shoppers unknowingly buying foreign-owned products in their attempt to buy ‘Aussie owned’ — prompting a coalition of Aussie food businesses to join forces to educate on what constitutes Australian owned.
About a third (30 per cent) of shoppers have increased their support for (what they believe to be) Australian brands and products over the past two years, with many prepared to pay more if they think the money remains in Australia or goes back to supporting Aussie farmers and their communities.
Norco chief executive Michael Hampson said while he was pleased by how much Aussie shoppers wanted to support Australian-owned businesses, it was disappointing to see the scale of confusion among shoppers.
“What’s clear from the research is that if we want to protect what’s left of our iconic and authentically Australian brands, there needs to be a greater conversation and further education around the difference between Australian made and Australian owned,” he said.
SPC chief marketing officer Peta Allsopp said that like their coalition counterparts, they were proud to remain 100 per cent Australian made and owned, but had certainly felt the impact of foreign competition in recent times.
“The current cost-of-living crisis is very real and consequently, consumers are making well-considered values-based choices,” she said.
“At times, they are either knowingly or unknowingly choosing imported options from lower cost producing countries such as China and South Africa.
“We are immensely proud of the quality of our SPC products and more committed than ever to delivering superior value to consumers, while working closely with our grower partners to innovate and become more competitive.
“So if a small labelling update to include ‘country of ownership’ information can help better inform consumer choice, while protecting our iconic brands, industries and farmers alike, then that is something we fully support.”
SPC has also been the victim of copy-cat packaging that looks similar to SPC products, but uses contents sourced in countries such as China.
The bosses of major Australian food brands Norco, SPC, Sanitarium, Mayvers Foods and Sunshine Sugar have got together to develop a plan to address the misunderstandings.
Norco chief executive Michael Hampson said while he was pleased by how much Aussie shoppers wanted to support Australian-owned businesses, it was disappointing to see the scale of confusion among shoppers.
“What’s clear from the research is that if we want to protect what’s left of our iconic and authentically Australian brands, there needs to be a greater conversation and further education around the difference between Australian made and Australian owned,” he said.
Despite the best of intentions to support ‘Aussie owned’, the data has revealed that an majority of Aussie shoppers (81%) are actively buying foreign owned products - some (66%) even buying multiple foreign owned brands - believing they’re supporting Australian owned, with many simply relying on what they believe to be iconic Aussie brands, or household products they grew up with.
The coalition of ‘Aussie food bosses’ is urging consumers to arms themselves with knowledge and do their own research into which companies and products remain Australian owned.
As an easy first step, they’re encouraging consumers to download the Bring Back Australia App, which is uniquely designed to support and identify Australian-owned brands with a simple scan of a barcode.
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