Consumers deserve confidence in food labelling. Growers deserve a level playing field.

Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) says allegations raised in the ABC's Four Corners investigation are a timely reminder of the confidence Australians can have in locally grown fruit and vegetables, and why all food sold in Australia should be held to equivalent standards of integrity, transparency and accountability.

While the allegations are yet to be tested, QFVG CEO Scott Kompo-Harms said they reinforce the importance of maintaining trust in Australia's food system and ensuring consumers have confidence in the food they buy.

"Australians put their trust in food labels every day," Mr Kompo-Harms said.

"They deserve confidence that the food they buy is exactly what it claims to be and that everyone supplying food into the Australian market is meeting the standards consumers rightly expect."

Mr Kompo-Harms said Australian fruit, vegetable and nut growers produce food under some of the highest standards in the world.

"Our growers invest heavily in food safety, traceability, biosecurity, environmental stewardship and ethical labour practices.”

"Meeting those standards requires significant investment.”

"The cost of producing food in Australia is higher because we choose to uphold these standards. That's something Australians should be proud of, not something that leaves our growers at a competitive disadvantage." 

Mr Kompo-Harms said Australian growers need a level playing field.

"We're not afraid of competition. Australian growers produce world-class fruit and vegetables every day.”

"What we do expect is that products competing on Australian supermarket shelves can demonstrate the same level of integrity, transparency and assurance.”

"If Australian growers are required to meet these standards, it's only fair that imported products are held to equivalent expectations."

Mr Kompo-Harms said Australia's regulatory arrangements for imported processed foods should also provide clearer accountability.

"For fresh produce, import requirements are clearly managed through Australia's biosecurity system. However, responsibility for many imported processed foods is shared across multiple agencies.”

"When responsibility is fragmented, accountability can become less clear. Consumers deserve confidence that imported food products are being appropriately assessed and held to the standards Australians expect."

Mr Kompo-Harms encouraged Australians to support local growers by choosing fresh Australian fruit and vegetables wherever possible.

"If consumers are looking for the greatest confidence in where their food comes from, the simplest advice is to buy fresh Australian-grown fruit, vegetables and nuts.”

"When you buy fresh, you're supporting Australian farming families who produce food under some of the highest food safety, biosecurity, environmental and labour standards in the world.”

"Every purchase supports local jobs, regional communities and a food production system Australians can trust.”

"Our growers work incredibly hard to produce safe, nutritious food every day. They invest in meeting the high standards Australians expect, and they're proud of the food they grow.”

"So our message is simple: buy fresh, buy Australian and support the growers who put quality and integrity first."