During a tour of the new Melbourne Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market last week, there were numerous bags of imported onions from the US, prompting concerns from the national Peak Industry Body.

Onions Australia Chairperson, Kees Versteeg, himself a Queenslander, said the fresh new season Queensland onions were available on the shelves of supermarkets and greengrocers, as well as in the wholesale markets.

He said the industry was expecting a high quality yield this season, with Australian consumers sure to have premium produce available.

He added that consumers should ensure they were buying Australian grown onions, and shun any US imports. “Onions Australia has been campaigning for some time to have the imports stopped. We have undertaken a national education campaign to alert both retailers and consumers that Australia has a plentiful supply of our own locally grown onions.

Versteeg said, “Australian onions are grown in the safest conditions, with our growers adhering to the strictest production standards second to none. Australian onions are available year round because our growers have worked hard to ensure supply, with Queensland kicking off the season, followed within weeks by the other growing states of Australia.”

He said both Coles and Woolworths had given an undertaking that they would not import US onions. “It has come to our attention that the independent retailers do not adhere to that same agreement and regretfully imported red and white onions have already been detected in the domestic wholesale markets,” he said. “Onions Australia urges all consumers to ask their retailer exactly where their onions have been sourced from, and to ensure that they are Australian grown. If in doubt, ask your retailer to see the outer packaging these onions arrived in. Buying Australian grown onions brings piece of mind and knowledge that the product is clean and green, posing no risk to consumers. There is no need for US onions to enter Australia, and no need for consumers to purchase them. Supporting your Australian onion growers is all we ask from you.”