Prominent fish industry contender and owner of the Australian Seafood Fish and Chippery in Coburg, Con Patsiotis is amongst the many Victorian fish and chip shop owners who have recently supported a campaign that will allow consumers to know where their cooked seafood is sourced from.
The obligatory labelling of cooked seafood in Australia is a campaign born out of a senate inquiry that found labelling seafood at the restaurant level would be very beneficial; to consumers, local fishermen and the Australian national economy.
A phone survey of 17 fish and chip shops indicated most fish and chip shops supported being forced to reveal to consumers where their seafood were sourced from.
Along with many Victorian fish and chip shop owners, Patsiotis fully supports the idea that mandatory labelling will benefit Australia on both micro and macro levels, stating that consumers deserve to know “what they are eating and what they are paying for”, and that the mandatory move “will benefit local fishermen as well”.
Since the introduction of country of origin seafood labelling to supermarkets and markets in 2006, the Australian trawl fishing industry has increased from $4 million to $30 million, and the sale of Australian snapper has increased by 400 per cent. A further enforced expansion of labelling to cooked seafood could further enhance the fish industry economically.
The government is due to respond to the inquiry next month.