One of Australia’s certifiers of ‘free-range’ egg, beef and pork farms has lodged a complaint with the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over the labelling of Primo pork products as ‘RSPCA Free Range.’ The certifying organisation, Humane Choice, claims the RSPCA’s certification of the Primo pork products does not meet consumer expectation of ‘free range’ products, and that the brand is endorsed as free range by the RSPCA, and that the label is ‘misleading’. RSPCA... ...Read more »

Woolworths has become the first national supermarket to offer certified Meat Standards Australia (MSA) graded Australian beef to customers. Woolworths has been working with Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for over a decade on developing the MSA grading system. MSA is an industry audited program that delivers an eating quality guarantee. The grading system has been developed following years of research and more than 550,000 consumer product tests on 78,500 cuts of meat, using eight cooking methods. MSA... ...Read more »

Federal agriculture minister Joe Ludwig last night announced the resumption of the live export of cattle to Indonesia, which was suspended a month ago after a graphic broadcast by ABC’s Four Corners showed ill-treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesian abbatoirs. Senator Ludwig said that cattle exporters could now apply for export permits, provided they use the individual cattle tracking system. The decision came after cattle destined for live export were left in limbo throughout Australia’s... ...Read more »

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, today announced that the Government has suspended the export of live cattle to Indonesia “until new safeguards are established for the trade”. The move has been welcomed by animal welfare groups RSPCA and Animals Australia, whose investigation of cattle treatment in Indonesian abbatoirs led to a shocking report by ABC TV’s Four Corners, sparking nationwide outrage at the treatment of Australian cattle. The... ...Read more »

You may have noticed that consumer behaviour is changing significantly. People are not only demanding better quality food, they are also seeking more information about how their food is produced. The welfare of the animals that give us our food is becoming a key influencer in consumer purchasing decisions. In fact, market research shows around half of grocery buyers would prefer to purchase a humanely farmed product, over a conventionally farmed product. Just like cartons of eggs on the supermarket... ...Read more »

Just when you think we couldn’t know less about where our food comes from, the RSPCA says a revolution is stirring, with people increasingly curious about how and where their food is produced and about the animal that provides it. Bottom line is, consumers are becoming more conscious shoppers. With supermarkets stocking up on higher welfare products, the manufacturing and food service industries are also listening to consumers and looking to source more humanely produced products including cage-free... ...Read more »

Australia’s first RSPCA Approved turkey will be ready just in time for Christmas, with all of Coles’ Finest fresh turkeys bearing the welfare-friendly label this year. “Demand for higher welfare food has never been stronger and with turkey a staple for many Australian families at Christmas time the RSPCA has teamed up with Coles to provide a more ethical option for turkey lovers,” said RSPCA Australia CEO Heather Neil. Last year, Coles obtained FREPA (Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia)... ...Read more »

Snowy Mountains Cookies, Pudding Lane and Coles have been recognised nationally as ‘good eggs,’ by the RSPCA.  The RSPCA Good Egg Awards acknowledge major companies that make the switch to cage-free eggs.Snowy Mountains Cookies and Pudding Lane have both been Awarded RSPCA Good Egg Awards in the manufacturing category for their use of free-range eggs. “These companies have shown great leadership in their industry and we’d like to recognise them for their commitment to animal... ...Read more »

Nominations are closing at the end of September for the RSPCA’s Good Egg Awards, which celebrates medium- to large-scale organisations in the food service, hospitality, manufacturing or supermarket sector who have switched, or are planning to switch, to cage-free egg products. The Good Egg Award began in the UK, with international award winners including McDonalds UK, Subway, Starbucks Coffee, Unilever’s Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Microsoft, Google and Sainsburys supermarkets. Retailers... ...Read more »

Iconic Australian poultry brand Steggles has ramped up its advertising campaign by launching a second television commercial last Sunday, to run concurrently with its ‘no added hormones’ commercial. Steggles Brand Manager Celeste Moroney said: “In the last six months we have focused on re-establishing the Steggles brand. While communicating our key brand messages will continue, we recognise that it’s time to also focus on promoting our products and showing consumers the quality that... ...Read more »