Country of origin labels and imported organic food: a shopper's guide
"Certified organic" tells you how a food was produced. It doesn't tell you where. A jar of organic honey, a bag of organic oats or a tin of organic tomatoes could come from a Queensland farm or from the other side of the world, and both can be genuinely certified.
If buying local matters to you, the country of origin label is the second thing to read after the organic certification. This guide explains how those labels work in Australia and what to look for on imported organic food.
The rules in one paragraph
Most food sold in Australia must show where it comes from. The rules are set by the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 and administered by the ACCC. How much detail a label must show depends on whether the food is a priority or non-priority food, and whether it was grown, produced, made or packed in Australia or overseas.
Priority and non-priority foods
The Standard lists seven non-priority food categories:
- Seasonings
- Confectionery
- Biscuits and snack food
- Bottled water
- Soft drinks and sports drinks
- Tea and coffee
- Alcoholic beverages
Everything else is a priority food. That includes fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, bread, juice, honey, nuts, flour and most pantry staples: the things most organic shoppers buy every week.
The three kinds of label
| Label | What it looks like | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Three-part standard mark | Kangaroo-in-a-triangle logo + a shaded bar chart + a statement such as "Made in Australia from at least 90% Australian ingredients" | Priority foods grown, produced or made in Australia |
| Two-part standard mark | Bar chart + statement, no kangaroo, e.g. "Packed in Australia from at least 10% Australian ingredients" | Most priority foods packed here, and some imported priority foods that contain Australian ingredients |
| Country of origin statement | Text only, e.g. "Product of Peru" or "Made in Italy" | Non-priority foods and most imported foods (in a clearly defined box for imported packaged priority foods) |
The kangaroo logo can only be used for priority food grown, produced or made in Australia. A food that was only packed here can't carry it.
What the words mean
- "Product of Australia" or "Grown in Australia": all significant ingredients come from Australia and the processing happened here.
- "Made in Australia from at least X% Australian ingredients": the food was substantially transformed here; the bar and percentage show how much of the ingredients (by weight) are Australian.
- "Packed in Australia": it was packed here but doesn't meet the "made" test. The bar shows the Australian share, which can be small or zero.
- "Made in Australia from imported ingredients": made here, with little or no Australian content.
Loose produce counts too. Unpackaged fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish and some meats must have an origin label on the food or on a sign nearby, so look at the shelf ticket at your grocer or market.
Imported organic food
Plenty of organic staples sold in Queensland are imported: coffee, tea, cacao, quinoa, some rice, olive oil, canned tomatoes and dried fruit among them. That's normal, and many are genuinely certified. Here's how to read them.
1. Look for the certifier. Imported products often carry an overseas organic mark, such as the USDA Organic seal (United States), the EU organic "Euro-leaf" (European Union), JAS (Japan), Canada Organic or BioGro (New Zealand). EU-labelled products also show a control body code in a format like "XX-BIO-123", where the letters at the start are the country.
2. Check for an Australian certifier as well. Some imported products also carry an Australian certifier's logo and number (for example ACO or OFC), because the brand owner or importer has had them certified here. That's handy, because you can check the number on an Australian register.
3. Remember the Australian position. Certification isn't legally required for food to be called "organic" in Australia. Imported or not, an "organic" claim must be truthful under the Australian Consumer Law, but a logo and a number you can look up is still the best evidence. See what certified organic means in Australia.
4. Read the origin box. "Packed in Australia from imported ingredients" on a bag of organic nuts tells you the nuts were grown overseas. That's not a problem if you're fine with it, but it's worth knowing.
Organic and local: four common combinations
| On the label | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Certified organic logo + kangaroo + full bar | Certified organic and grown or made in Australia from Australian ingredients |
| Certified organic logo + "Packed in Australia from less than 10% Australian ingredients" | Certified organic, but the food itself was grown overseas |
| Kangaroo + full bar, no organic logo | Australian, but no evidence of organic certification on the pack |
| Overseas organic mark + "Product of Italy" | Certified under an overseas scheme; imported |
If you want food that's both certified organic and from Queensland, a farmers market, farm shop or box scheme is often the easiest route, because you can ask the grower directly. Our farmers market guide and box scheme guide can help.
Quick checklist
- [ ] Find the organic certifier logo and number
- [ ] Find the origin box or statement
- [ ] Kangaroo present? Then it was grown, produced or made here
- [ ] Read the bar: how much is Australian?
- [ ] Imported? Note which certifier, and check the number if you can
Information checked 17 October 2026 against the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, ACCC guidance on country of origin food labelling, and business.gov.au. General information only, not legal advice.
— the Blueberry Bear Team