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Membership guidelines

The Buy West Eat Best Program is a voluntary food and beverage labelling and marketing initiative developed by the Western Australian Government to assist local food producers to identify and promote their products to Western Australian consumers.

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The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia is responsible for administering the Buy West Eat Best program.

Businesses that are able to meet the obligations and criteria within the guidelines are encouraged to register for the program, to use the logo and take advantage of the marketing activities & and campaigns delivered by the program to promote their products.

Scope of the guidelines

The guidelines in themselves do not constitute an agreement. If a food business wishes to use the Buy West Eat Best logo, it will have to enter into a Licence Agreement with the WA State Government agreeing to use the logo on the terms and conditions stipulated in the agreement. Once a food business has entered into a Licence Agreement, it will become a registered user with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA.

Objectives

The objectives of the guidelines are to:

  • Provide information to users of the Buy West Eat Best Logo, on their obligations to ensure the correct usage and entitlement of the logo; and
  • Increase consumer confidence in products carrying the Buy West Eat Best Logo.

The guidelines do not take precedence over statutory requirements or the Licence Agreement. It is up to the registered user to ensure that usage of the logo does not contravene any other statutory requirement.

Criteria for use of Buy West Eat Best Logo

Businesses can be eligible to use the Buy West Eat Best Logo if they produce or trade products that meet the following criteria:

Local Content

Fresh Foods:

  • The product must be grown, farmed or fished in Western Australia; or

Processed Foods and Beverages:

  • All characterising ingredients must be grown, farmed or fished in Western Australia; and
  • The goods must have been transformed and/or processed in Western Australia.

Restaurant Criteria

  • 70% or more of the dishes on the main and entrée menu must feature the main characterising ingredient as grown, farmed or fished in Western Australia.

Associate criteria

  • Representing companies whose products are grown, farmed or fished in Western Australia.
  • Representing Western Australian food regions.

Food Safety

Producers, manufacturers and retailers must comply with the Food Act 2008, its subsidiary legislation and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code ensuring the production of safe food. They must have a quality assurance (QA) program or quality protocols in place. Food producers, manufacturers, and retailers who want to use the logo must provide evidence that they have at least one of the following requirements in place for the products to which they wish to apply the logo:

  • Export registration with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
  • Current HACCP, SQF, Freshcare, HARPS, BRC, WQA or ISO 9000.
  • Currently certified under the Safefood Program.
  • Assessment report from the Department of Health or Regulatory Auditor.
  • Certificate of Registration as a Food Business under the Food Act 2008.

Restaurants must be compliant with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, ensuring the production of safe food.

Evidence such as copies of certification/reports must be provided with the application (e.g. Food Act 2008 registration, food safety certificates, inspection report from Local government etc.).

Registration and Fee

Food producers, manufacturers, restaurants, industry associations and retailers are required to register to use the logo and to be part of the Buy West Eat Best program.

The registration process is as follows:

  • Food producers, manufacturers, restaurants, industry associations and retailers will be required to complete an application form and submit relevant documentation. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA may accept or reject any such application.
  • Successful food producers, manufacturers, restaurants, industry associations and retailers are required to operate under a license agreement which defines the terms under which the Buy West Eat Best logo and marketing activities can be used. The 2023/24 fee for participation in the program is $348.48 (inc GST). Businesses will be invoiced annually to maintain membership in the program.

 

Obligations for use of logo

Product List

The application form will contain a product list. This a list of those goods that a business wishes to promote using the Buy West Eat Best logo. The products must meet the criteria for usage of the logo. The product list will be maintained by Buy West Eat Best. If a business wishes to add to or remove products from the list, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA must be contacted, and any product added to the list must meet the appropriate criteria.

Design, colour and size of logo

The Buy West Eat Best logo must not be altered in terms of graphic proportions relating to the design. The logo can be used in black and white, or the colour Pantone 361 and it may be altered in size to suit packaging or other marketing requirements.

Compliance with statutory obligations

Businesses are responsible for the usage of the logo and should ensure that their usage of the Buy West Eat Best logo complies with all other regulatory requirements.

Change of product source or seasonal variability

If there is a change in production process (for example a change in the source of the ingredients or location of processing) where the product no longer meets the criteria for usage of the logo, then the company must cease usage of the logo on the product and contact the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA to remove the product from the product list.

Liability

Liability for compliance in relation to usage of the Buy West Eat Best logo remains solely the responsibility of the company.

Compliance

Monitoring of the Buy West Eat Best program will be undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA Food Integrity team. Monitoring and enforcement activities include:

  • Email to take complaints/questions.
  • Free hotline to take complaints/questions.
  • Compliance visits undertaken at a business or retail level.
  • Catalogue checks
  • Website checks

Complaints and resolution process

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA’s Food Integrity team will visit the site (retail outlet or market/food business). If a breach of the Licence Agreement is determined, then the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA may take a range of actions dependent on the response.

In the event that a former Licensee continues to use the logo in breach of the program’s criteria and has failed to act on written notification then the Food Integrity team will contact Consumer Protection, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety if potential breach of Trade Practices Act or the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for products distributed nationally.

For all membership obligations, see licence agreement.

For any compliance related queries or complaints please contact the compliance team on compliance@buywesteatbest.wa.gov.au