Consumer Watch with Candice Evans: What to know to avoid missing the boat on new seafood labelling rules

Australian seafood lovers are used to seeing country of origin labels when shopping, with this requirement applying to most food for retail sale for almost a decade. From July 1, 2026, restaurants, cafes, pubs, food trucks, takeaways and other hospitality businesses that serve seafood will be required to help their customers make informed choices about the dishes they order. Changes to the Australian Consumer Law mean these businesses will need to tell diners if the seafood they are serving is Australian, imported or a mix of both. This change means that when someone looks at a menu, a menu board or online, they should be able to see clearly where the seafood in a dish is sourced from. There are a few ways to do this, and businesses can choose the method that works best for them. One option is to use a simple ‘AIM’ label alongside seafood dishes. ‘A’ means the seafood is Australian, ‘I’ means it’s imported, and ‘M’ means it’s a mix of both. If you use this method on your menus, you also need a little note explaining what each letter means. Another option is to write out the words instead of letters. For example, a dish could say ‘Grilled barramundi (Australian)’ or ‘Prawns (imported) with salad’ on the menu. This way, there’s no need for a legend explaining the letters, and the meaning is right there in the words. If a business only serves Australian seafood, or only imported seafood, it can choose to put a single statement somewhere obvious like on the menu or a sign in the venue saying, “We only serve Australian seafood” or “All seafood is imported”. This option can make things simpler for businesses that don’t mix sources. The rules apply to seafood that’s ready to eat as soon as it’s served. That means if someone can eat it right away, whether they’re dining in, picking it up to take home, or having it delivered, the origin should be shown in a way they can see before they order. This applies to dishes like fish and chips, seafood pasta, oysters, ‘surf and turf’ and prawn salads, just to name a few. There are some situations where you don’t need to show seafood country of origin. If a dish isn’t marketed as containing ‘seafood’, for example a supreme pizza which may have a few anchovies, then it doesn’t need to be labelled. Also, dishes that contain ingredients like fish sauce, canned tuna, fish stock or shelf-stable ingredients don’t require labelling. These country of origin labelling rules don’t apply to canteens, schools, prisons, hospitals or fundraising events. These changes are all about helping customers make informed choices about the food they eat and so they know what they’re paying for. Starting early with planning and adjusting menus will make the transition smoother when the rules take full effect at the beginning of July 2026. More information can be found at https://www.consumerprotection.wa.gov.au/seafoodcountry-origin-labelling or for specific help on these changes email the team directly seafoodcool@lgirs.wa.gov.au Candice Evans is senior regional officer for Consumer Protection in the Mid West