On 13 May 2015, the Senate referred the following matters to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 November 2015:

1. the extent of food certification schemes and certifiers in Australia including, but not limited to, schemes related to organic, kosher, halal and genetically-modified food and general food safety certification schemes;
2. current labelling requirements of food certification schemes;
3. the need for labelling on products produced by companies that pay certification fees;
4. whether current schemes provide enough information for Australian consumers to make informed purchasing decisions;
5. details regarding certification fees paid by food producers and/or manufacturers, and the potential for these to impact on prices for consumers;
6. the importance of food certification schemes in relation to export market access and returns to producers;
7. the extent and adequacy of information available to the public about certifiers including, but not limited to, certification processes, fees and financial records; and any related matters.