AU: Food labelling: canny consumers should search for the source
The Australian: Go shopping for food or sit down at a restaurant or cafe and you’re likely to be bombarded with assurances that everything is fresh, local, sustainable, seasonal, ethical, nutritious and/or Australian.
Packaging is jammed with claims about “goodness” and “trust” and, if the photographs are any guide, every farm is a green swathe of lush perfection with one or two plump, healthy animals gambolling joyfully across the verdant expanse.
In many ways this is encouraging. Retailers are responding to growing consumer preference for products that are healthy, ethically produced and local. But these images speak of a romantic idea of food production: clean, uncluttered and safe.