Our food is clean, green... so where is it?

While the contaminated fruit making its way onto supermarket shelves also raises questions about the quarantine procedures - or lack thereof - the produce was subject to upon reaching our shores, better labelling still might have reduced the number of shoppers who bought that product, had they known where it was from.

In China, shoppers seek out Australian produce for the very reason Chinese-grown produce has hit the headlines in Australia this week.

They know they can trust Australian food for safety and quality, yet seeking out home-grown food in our own backyard is not so simple.

A report last year by consumer organisation Choice showed a third of its 700 respondents said they always bought Australian food when it was available, and 62 per cent said they tried to where possible.

However, less than quarter were able to accurately identify the definitions of the various Australian Made logos.

This begs the question - were they really buying Australian produce, or did they just think they were?

Despite Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer's suggestions, clearer country of origin labelling would not have prevented this current incident, because Nanna's is a recognised, trusted brand here.

However, proper labelling may have reduced the rate of infection, especially among those who try to buy Australian, but often can't.

As the Choice survey showed, many shoppers are ill-equipped to buy clean Australian grown product, or to support local jobs and businesses, because current labelling practices obfuscate the true origins of products.

It's all well and good for us to recommend shoppers stick to the local stuff in the wake of this scare, but without the proper labelling tools, many may be duped into buying overseas product instead.

We talk about our country's clean, green image as a shoe-in into export markets, but this incident has shown it is increasingly important at home.

Clearer, simpler labelling is a must, not just to keep shoppers informed, but to allow Australian-grown produce to take advantage of its clean green status on its home turf.