A packet of honey-coated macadamias has exposed the true extent of Australia’s dependence on Chinese labor during a manufacturing cost crisis.
An eagle-eyed shopper spotted a contradictory label on a package of macadamias while browsing the shelves of her local Woolworths store on Tuesday.
“Product of Australia (classified in China),” the label said.
“Grown here in Australia and then sent to China to be packaged… that’s a special kind of nonsense,” the shopper captioned the photo on X.
Many Australians questioned whether Woolworths brand nuts could be classified as “made in Australia” if they had been classified overseas.
‘I understand labor costs in Australia can be high, but high enough to ship products back and forth to China? Well, every day you learn something new,’ said one.
‘Another kick in the gut for our wonderful farmers who produce some of the best crops in the world. Once again, this is a disgrace to our government,” wrote a second.
‘And they talk about climate change. “Unnecessary trips to transport products are not good for the consumer,” commented a third.
A packet of honey-coated macadamias (pictured) has exposed the reality of Australia’s dependence on Chinese labor during a manufacturing cost crisis.
‘Product of Australia (classified in China)’, reads the label of Woolworths brand nuts
Others said it was unreasonable to expect farmers to pay more to grade their produce in Australia when they can save money by outsourcing it overseas.
“It takes too much to process anything here,” one person wrote.
But others pointed out that this was not without consequences.
‘Labor costs in Australia are effectively killing jobs in this country. “It’s much cheaper to pack abroad now,” said a second.
“That would be a result of labor and energy costs in Australia… and that, my friend, is why 13,000 businesses have closed so far this year,” agreed another.
Others said the practice was more common than Australians thought.
‘We grow them and it’s cheaper to ship and package them in China and ship them back to Australia than to do it all here. Seafood too. You’ll be surprised how much food you eat, grown here and packaged in China,” one person wrote on Reddit.
‘Australian labor costs are very high. “Many labour-intensive products use these models, for example Australian peeled shrimp are often peeled in places like Thailand and Vietnam and shipped back,” said another.
A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: ‘These macadamia nuts are 100% Australian grown. “We provide country of origin labels like this one to help customers make an informed decision.”