Ask Where The Pork Comes From…


If you want to know what you’re eating and where it’s coming from, then next time you are buying pork, make sure you find out if it’s Australian or imported.

Did you know that although all fresh raw pork sold in Australia is Australian, about 70% of our processed pork/smallgoods products are from imported pork?

Here are a few reasons why Australian fresh pork is worth asking for…

  • the Australian industry has world standards in animal welfare, with the help of APIQ accreditation for our pig farmers to ensure pigs are handled with care
  • Australian pork processors adhere to the highest of animal welfare standards through a national accreditation called ‘Australian Livestock Processing Industry Animal Welfare Certification System’ or ‘AAWCS’
  • the Australian pig farming industry has been around for over 60 years, so has decades of experience in how to look after pigs and how to produce high quality pork

 

Some pork packaging has labelling to explain where the pork comes from, but it’s a little confusing, so here’s a snapshot of what some of it means:

  • Product of Australia – This is Australian grown and is guaranteed to be made from Australian grown pork.
  • All of these next label descriptions that can be found in store on pork, may include imported pork in the ingredients:
    • Made in Australia – This can be grown and processed in Australia but potentially contains imported meat.
    • Made from Imported and Local Ingredients – this is most likely to contain predominately imported pork.
    • Made from Local and Imported Ingredients – is more likely to be made from Australian grown pork than the above, but is using imported spices or cures and possibly some imported pork.

 

Here’s hoping we’ve cleared up some of the differences in the pork you can buy and made it a little easier for that next meat order.  Happy shopping!

 

References:

http://www.pork.com.au/the-porkmark-explained/

http://www.apiq.com.au/

http://www.amic.org.au/content_common/pg-aawcs.seo

http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2014-05-02/pig-farmer-decline/5426020