The average Aussie eats six kilos of bacon every year, but where does it come from?

Nearly 50 per cent of Australians accept as true with bought bacon within the past week, but in retaining with contemporary look at, most construct no longer know where it comes from despite increasing user sentiment to buy native.

Australian Pork Limited CEO Margo Andrae said consumers accept as true with been unaware that nearly all bacon and assorted little items accept as true with been product of imported meat.

“So most attention-grabbing 30 per cent of it is in overall using Australian home-grown pork and supporting Aussie pork producers.

“Customers correct assumed that it was Australian — 76 per cent of consumers surveyed — it’s a staggering quantity and so they correct didn’t realise.”

Consumers need native come by

Ms Andrae said americans accept as true with been disappointed one of these gargantuan share of ham and bacon was made using imported substances.

“We accept as true with seen a stable expand of americans attempting to increase home-grown [produce] and so they belief they accept as true with been shopping for native but in reality they weren’t,” she said.

“85 per cent of americans surveyed said within the occasion that they’d realised they correct desired to pay a little bit extra to prefer Australian then they could no doubt discontinue that.”

Most of the pork imported into Australia is from the United States or Europe.

Mick Nunn, who owns Salt Kitchen Charcuterie in Ballarat, Victoria, said the quality of contemporary Australian pork was superior to imported meat.

“We’re in reality lucky to accept as true with farmers that could presumably perhaps come by one of these high-quality product,” he said.

“I’d in reality esteem consumers to be in reality discerning, hit upon at labels and figure out if it is that in reality a product product of Australian pork.

“But one positive that has come out of the pandemic is that americans accept as true with in reality gravitated in the direction of a locally made product. Our consumers are extra engaged.”

Mr Nunn says the pigs he is equipped with accept as true with been cared for neatly by farmers, below high-welfare conditions.

Better labels wanted

In whole, about 3.35 million kilograms of pork, value  roughly $13.8 million, is imported every week, in retaining with Ms Andrae.

She said Australian Pork Limited was lobbying for clearer labelling to wait on prospects differentiate between native and imported products.

“Most americans mediate when they search for the golf green triangle with the yellow kangaroo that they are shopping for Australian, but consumers in reality favor to learn the bar chart under,” Ms Andrae said.

“We have been working very carefully with authorities to raise awareness, but our subsequent step is to [see] what assorted choices we could presumably perhaps restful be positive that that there is truth in labelling.”

All contemporary pork in Australia is home-grown and consumers could presumably perhaps presumably rest easy when shopping for products esteem roasts, chops or loin cuts, Ms Andrae said.

“That it’s likely you’ll additionally be guaranteed the contemporary pork it’s likely you’ll presumably perhaps presumably be shopping for is all Australian, and to be critical extra positive it’s likely you’ll presumably well hit upon the pink Australian Pork ticket.”

Why import so critical?

Despite roughly 70 per cent of Australian agricultural commodities being exported to assorted worldwide locations, Ms Andrae said most attention-grabbing 10 per cent of the nation’s pork was exported, mostly to Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan.

“We’re no longer a gigantic exporter. Most of our production is grown for Australian consumption,” she said.

“But we now accept as true with had a reliance on imported pork, potentially staunch thru the final decade, within the foundation as a result of of ticket.

But African Swine Fever (ASF) spreading thru worldwide locations esteem China was altering the game, Ms Andrae said, along with user sentiment to prefer native.

“There was a gigantic change to pork protein globally with about 30 per cent gone because of that awful virus, so we’re seeing the value a bit of change.”