Country of Origin statements on retail packaging are intended to inform consumers about the origin of the food (or other goods) that they buy.

New Country of Origin Statements have been optional before 01 July 2018.

As of 01 July 2018, all eligible food products packed for retail sale in Australia must be packed with only new Country of Origin information.

Products packed before 01 July 2018 with older Country of Origin information can still be sold after 01 July 2018. These products may be on shelf for the duration on their shelf life, and they will be soon be replaced by stock packed after 01 July 2018.

The new Country of Origin mark has 3 design elements:

1. Kangaroo logo – signifies that the product was manufactured in Australia
2. Declaration of the minimum content (percentage by weight) of Australian ingredients (which are declared in the ingredient list) used to make the product
3. A representation of the percentage of Australian ingredients on a bar below the Kangaroo logo

 

For more detail, please refer to the ACCC website http://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/groceries/country-of-origin

As an Australian manufacturer of meat products we purchase the largest volume of Australian pork in the country, in addition we purchase imported pork from North America and Europe to supplement the production requirements that Australian farms cannot meet and to also maintain our products at an affordable price for our customers.

All pork meat that is imported into Australia is done so under very strict quarantine legislation governed by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR). Rigorous Australian regulations also govern how imported pork meat is used in the manufacture of products in Australia.

The labelling of our products is in accordance with the current FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) legislation. All the required information is stated on the product packaging.

Nitrites and nitrates ingredients that are added to processed meats during the manufacturing process.

• Nitrites and nitrates have multiple effects:
• Preservative effect
• Flavour contribution
• Colour – change the meat to a stable pink colour characteristic of ham or bacon.

Some pork products do not have nitrite eg fresh sausages and roast pork.

If nitrites were not used, the pork would have the colour and flavour of roast pork.

The level of nitrite that can be added to meat products is limited by Australian food law.

All ingredients selected and purchased for the manufacturing sites are gluten free. In addition, we require that:

• Ingredients containing dextrose or maltodextrin are derived from sources that do not contain gluten and

• Alternatives are found for ingredients that can be sourced from cereals that contain gluten.

 

We do periodic validation of our gluten free policy with periodic scheduled gluten testing of products, but most of the control we have is through exclusion of ingredients containing gluten from the manufacturing sites.

You can buy Primo Smallgoods products from all the majors retailers (Coles, Woolworths, IGA, Costco,…) in both the pre-packed and deli counter sections. If you have difficulties finding a product, feel free to send us an email to customercare@primosmallgoods.com.au.

As the product relies on a drying process, there will be a certain amount of variation in the extent of adhesion of the casing to the product. If difficulty is experienced in removing the casing, it is suggested the vacuum packaging is opened and the salami left in the fridge for two or three days prior to removing the casing or the product is placed into the freezer for one or two hours before peeling.

Our products are NOT Halal.

 

Click on the link below for more information:

http://www.afgc.org.au/about-afgc/our-policies/halal-certification/

All the open positions across the group are on our career website here. Do not hesitate to have a look and to connect with us.

Some meat products are exempt from the legal requirement to declare meat percentage.

Products that undergo significant weight loss (drying) during manufacture are among those that are not required to declare meat percentage.

The best example of this is our salamis. Salamis are made with no added water and contain less than 10% non-meat ingredients like spices and salt. During the manufacturing process the salami is dried for shelf stability, resulting in a theoretical meat percentage greater than 100% because the weight of fresh meat used to produce the salami is actually more than the weight of the end product. A batch of salami may use 90kg of fresh meat to produce 70kg of finished product.

For more detail, please refer to the Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.10:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/F2015L00398

For food safety reasons all food products must be packaged in materials that provide adequate protection against contamination as well as maintain the integrity of the pack vacuum or gas flushed environment over the product shelf life through distribution, display for sale and storage at home after purchase. These requirements necessitate the use of multi-laminate barrier packaging materials, which cannot currently be recycled in Australia.

The company is committed to regular evaluation of the environmental impact of product packaging and will continue to work with our approved packaging suppliers with respect to developments in the technology and suitability of available packaging materials.

All of the cartons used to distribute and display our products are 100% recyclable and contain a high proportion of recycled cardboard.