If you’re ordering seafood at an Adelaide restaurant from this July, you might notice a small new letter sitting beside the fish, oysters or calamari on the menu. While it may not look like much, this small change is part of a nationwide effort to help diners make more informed choices about what’s on their plates.
From July 1st, hospitality venues across Australia, including restaurants, cafes, pubs, clubs, food trucks and takeaway shops, are now required to disclose the country of origin of the seafood they serve using a simple new labelling system.
Known as the AIM model, the new rules mean seafood dishes must be marked with one of three labels. A means it’s Australian seafood, I means it’s imported seafood, and M means it’s seafood of mixed origin.
The changes apply to seafood served for immediate consumption, whether you’re dining in, ordering takeaway or having food delivered. For diners, this is a straightforward way to know exactly where the seafood in your meal comes from before you order.
This new change is aiming to create greater transparency across the hospitality industry, allowing customers to make informed decisions while creating a consistent labelling system nationwide.
Importantly, where the seafood is processed doesn’t affect the label, it’s based solely on where the seafood was harvested. That means seafood labelled Australian has been harvested within Australia or its territorial waters, while imported seafood has been harvested overseas. Dishes containing a combination of Australian and imported seafood must be labelled Mixed.
The labels will need to appear anywhere customers make purchasing decisions, including printed menus, online menus, digital ordering systems, menu boards and food delivery platforms. So for restaurants and cafes, the changes mean keeping close records of where their seafood comes from and updating menus if suppliers change.
As for diners, the system couldn’t be much simpler. So next time you’re scanning the specials board or ordering your Friday night fish and chips, keep an eye out for the new A, I or M, to make sure you’re eating the way you want to.
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