(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam cephalopod exports to Australia in Jan-May 2016 reached US$1.6 million, up 49.7% year on year.
The figure in May 2016 estimated at US$275 thousand, up 39% compared to May 2015. The shipments to Australia accounted for 1.1% of Vietnam’s total cephalopod exports and the market ranked the 8th out of top cephalopod importers from Vietnam. Besides, the exports to this market posted the largest growth in top 10 leading cephalopod importers of Vietnam.
In QI/2016, imports of cephalopod into Australia reached US$24.52 million, up slightly from the same period in 2015 but decreased by 5% compared to QIV/2015. In which, the import volume in QI/2016 touched 5,808 MT, up over QI/2015 but down over QIV/2015. China stayed as the biggest supplier of cephalopod to this market, followed by Malaysia and Thailand.
Vietnam ranked the 6th in terms of cephalopod export volume to Australia. In QI/2016, the shipments from Vietnam to Australia hit 213 MT, up from 123 MT in QI/2015 but decreased compared to 286 MT in QIV/2015.
Australia tends to import cephalopod for domestic consumption rather than processing and then re-exporting. Therefore, cephalopod exports of this country are not high. In QI/2016, Australia exported 18 MT of cephalopod, worth US$55 thousand.
Since Jan 7th 2016, the new country of origin labeling system will be applied under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This law will be applied to food products retailed in Australia, including the products sold at stores or markets, online or at vending machines. This law will not be applied to food sold in some places such as restaurants, cafes, and take-away shops, schools or canteens.
However, companies will have 2 years to sell all the current products and change their labels to match new regulations before they become mandatory from Jan 7th 2018. Under this new system, most kinds of food produced, raised, grown or processed in Australia will be required to be labeled with: (1) the icon of kangaroo in a triangle so that consumers can easily and quickly identify food that originated in Australia, (2) a statement that the food is raised, grown, produced or processed in Australia; (3) The minimum rate of components originating from Australia in total weight, indicated by percent or column chart.
Regulations on labeling will vary upon the kinds of products and the countries of orgin that products are raised, grown, produced, processed or packaged. For most imported food (food is raised, grown, produced, processed or packaged in countries other than Australia), the countries of origin will have to be specified on the label in a clear box.
Currently, food products retailed in Australia are to comply with the requirements of the country of origin labeling under the Food Standards, managed by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand. The businesses have to continue to implement this law by Jan 1st 2018, unless they are chosen to apply these standards earlier.
Written by Ngoc Thuy
Compiled by Dieu Thuy