BUYING bone-in product is the only way of guaranteeing the ham is genuine Australian product, said Gerns Continental Smallgoods director Andrew Gerns.
Australian Pork Limited research found up to 80 per cent of hams have been made from imported product.
However, the same research revealed more than 95pc of consumers wanted to buy Australian ham and pork.
"We have always guaranteed our pork is sourced from Australia," Mr Gerns said.
"Consumers who purchase a Gerns ham can be confident it came from Australian pork producers and was raised on Australian grain.
"It remains illegal under quarantine laws to import any bone in ham.
"The bone remains the best way to instantly identify that the ham they see in the meat cabinet is the real deal."
Emily Mackintosh from Australian Pork Limited said it was often difficult for consumers to understand the difference between labels claiming made in Australia, product of Australia, and made from local and imported products.
"Many consumers base purchase decisions on price, but our vague and ambiguous labelling laws make it incredibly difficult for consumers to understand the origin of pork products," Ms Mackintosh said.
"Making sure you buy Australian is not easy for consumers.
"What 'buy Australian' labels mean under Australian labelling law is confusing."
Under Australian labelling laws:
'Product of Australia' means it must be made in Australia from Australian ingredients.'Made in Australia' means it is made in Australia with significant imported ingredients."There are expectations of consumers that the industry needs to meet, and expectations driven by animal rights groups," Ms Mackintosh said.
"Phasing out of sow crates is an example. The pork industry is responding, but the changeover does take time.
"While animal rights groups may expect this to happen sooner, there is a capital cost associated with making these changes. The industry has committed to phase out sow crates by 2017."
Mr Gerns said there was still a lot of imported ham around and it was difficult to compete on price.
Gerns Continental Smallgoods is an old Brisbane company which has been producing award-winning hams and smallgoods since 1895. One of the company's most popular products is its low-allergen, gluten-free ham.
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