Inquiry into Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling – Palm Oil) Bill 2009
Reason for referral of the Bill and information relating to the reference
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On 26 November 2009 the Senate,
on the recommendation of the Selection of Bills Committee, referred the
Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling – Palm Oil) 2009
[introduced by Senators
Xenophon, Bob Brown and Joyce] to the Community Affairs Legislation
Committee for inquiry and report by 31 August 2010. The Bill will amend
product information standards to provide for the accurate labelling of
palm oil in food. The principal issues for consideration by the Committee
are:
- The rights of consumers
to be provided with accurate and truthful information to enable them to
make an informed choice about the food products they are eating and
purchasing;
- That allowing palm oil
to be listed as "vegetable oil" on food packaging is misleading to
consumers;
- That palm oil is
considered high in saturated fats and consumers should be made aware if it
is used in foods they are eating for health reasons;
- That the impact of palm
oil production on wildlife, specifically Orang-utan's in South East Asia
is significant unless it is done sustainably;
- That sustainable palm
oil can be produced with low impact on the environment and wildlife and
with better labour laws on plantations; and
- That manufacturers
should be encouraged to use sustainable palm oil in their production
process and can subsequently use the status of "Certified Sustainable Palm
Oil" as a business benefit.
The Bill may be accessed via
the link:
Legislation and documentation
relating to the Bill
The Committee
invites you to provide a written submission addressing issues that may be
of relevance to you. The submission should be lodged by 24 April 2010. The
Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically as an attached
document – email:
community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au – otherwise by fax (02 6277 5829).
Submissions become Committee documents and
are made public only after a decision by the Committee. Publication of
submissions includes loading them onto the internet and their being
available to other interested parties including the media. Persons making
submissions must not release them without the approval of the Committee.
Submissions are covered by parliamentary privilege but the unauthorised
release of them is not protected. Information relating to Senate
Committee inquiries, including notes to assist in the preparation of
submissions for a Committee, can be located on the Internet at
https://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/wit_sub/index.htm
Should you require further
information please contact the Committee Secretariat on (02) 6277 3515.
Enquiries from hearing and
speech impaired people should be directed to Parliament House TTY number
02 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools at http://access.adobe.com/ for
the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. If you require
any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the Committee's
inquiry, please contact the Secretariat.
For further information, contact:
Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia