Plastic produce stickers – Requirements

There is no legal requirement in South Australia (or any other Australian jurisdiction) for produce to be labelled with a sticker. 

Barcoded stickers carry information about the type/varietal of produce and the details of the grower that produced it. Some barcoded stickers also carry the 4-digit product lookup (PLU) code, information on country of origin and marketing messaging.

Barcoded stickers are generic in the sense that they are printed in bulk and are not specific to a piece of fruit or batch. Barcodes placed on boxes and trays record very specific information for traceability purposes such as date, time and method of harvest, storage and chemical treatment history. Being able to link a piece of fruit to a specific grower can assist with traceability but full traceability is not possible without knowing the box or tray barcode. The box or tray must include labelling as required under the SA Plant Health Act 2009 and Plant Health Regulations 2022. 

Produce stickers with barcodes are a contractual requirement of some major supermarkets to assist with quick and accurate identification at checkout. Discussions with growers, and a review of produce stickers that are used in the SA market, found a high proportion of stickers were used for to identify produce from specific growers or varietals and to convey marketing messages, and often do not include a barcode.

Recent research commissioned by Green Industries SA seeking insights into attitudes toward produce stickers found that consumers are largely indifferent or negative toward produce stickers although a small proportion recognised their functional benefits. Data showed that for 74% of survey respondents, stickers play a minimal role in consumer purchase decisions which are dominated by freshness, quality and price.

Read the full report on industry and consumer attitudes towards produce stickers.