Petitioning the Australian Senate;

Cider is a growing category and popular with drinkers of all ages. Cider is like wine and is made from fermented juice, in this case the juice of apples and pears, and its growth supports farmers and regional communities around Australia.

We applaud the government for its decision to improve the mandatory country of origin labelling requirements for many products. Cider however has been excluded from these changes. We, the signatories to this petition, call on the Australian Parliament to ensure cider is included in the new country of origin labelling system. Fruit juice is quite appropriately covered by the new rules, and cider, which is fermented fruit juice, should also be required to indicate the proportion of ingredients grown in Australia. 

More than 70% of the cider marketed in Australia is made using imported juice concentrate that is significantly cheaper than Australian grown fruit juice. We think that not only is it important to level the playing field for Australian producers, but a basic human right that people know where the food and beverages they are putting in their bodies come from.

We're lucky enough to live in a country that produces such amazing food...and we should be able to make informed choices about how we spend our money and where the food we feed ourselves is grown.

Thank you for your time.

Cider Makers of Australia