Renewed Call for Origin Labeling in Gastronomy
Domestic tourism advertises with Austrian cuisine and regional foods, but cheap foreign products often end up on the plates. This was criticized by the initiative "Land Creates Life" on Thursday during a press conference. The founders, Maria Fanninger and Hannes Royer, once again advocated for a legal anchoring of origin labeling in gastronomy. "This allows the consumer to decide for themselves," said Fanninger.
"The Alm is the Cradle of Tourism"
The occasion was the presentation of a report on the topic "Agriculture, Living Space & Tourism". Without agriculture, tourism in Austria would be unthinkable, explained Royer: "We live in a cultural landscape that has been shaped by people over millennia." Without agriculture and the associated food production, the cultural landscape and thus tourism would also be threatened. "The Alm is the cradle of tourism," emphasized Royer.
Austria has the prerequisites to supply itself well with local and regional foods. However, due to the small-scale agriculture and the high wage level, Austria does not offer the cheapest prices, explained Fanninger, citing an example: Since 2009, there has been no caged farming of chickens in Austria. At the same time, around 1.2 million cage eggs are imported daily.
Royer Wants Legal Anchoring of Origin Labeling
Origin labeling is becoming increasingly important because new wholesalers with cheap foreign products are pushing into the domestic market, reported Royer: "There is a trend towards lower quality levels." In gastronomy businesses that voluntarily implement origin labeling, it is evident that they primarily focus on quality from Austria.
The small-scale agriculture faces many challenges. Royer warned that the new Common Agricultural Policy of the EU could worsen the funding situation for small rural agriculture. Additionally, the conclusion of Mercosur threatens additional competition from abroad. It is all the more important to improve the framework conditions for domestic farmers to secure the cultural landscape and thus tourism in Austria in the long term.
(APA/Red)
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