ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-06 · by Warwick Long and Justine Longmore
Guzman y Gomez, an Australian fast-food chain, sources Danish pork for its menu items despite advertising support for local produce. The company imports hundreds of tonnes annually and defends this practice based on quality, availability, and pricing factors. Meanwhile, the Australian Pork Limited is pushing for labeling laws to disclose imported meat origins, similar to seafood regulations, arguing that transparency is lacking in the industry.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
Mexican fast-food giant Guzman y Gomez is importing tonnes of pork to serve in its burritos and tacos across Australia.
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Gomez → import → Australia
GYG says it's a proud supporter of Australian farmers but local producers say the company should be more transparent about where their meat comes from.
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meat → say → where
The pork industry is pushing to introduce import label rules, similar to those required for seafood.
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industry → push → seafood
Mexican fast-food chain Guzman Y Gomez (GYG) is under fire for advertising the use of Australian produce while importing hundreds of tonnes of Danish pork each year.
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Gomez → advertise → pork
The company has confirmed it sources pork from Australia and Denmark for its burritos, tacos and other products.
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it → confirm → burritos
Rob Farmer from Australian Pork Limited (APL) said the fast food chain's practices were a "very good example" of "imported meat hiding in plain sight".
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practices → say → sight
"They're serving imported pork in a pulled pork burrito and the customers have no idea.
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customers → serve → idea
"It's not currently a requirement to call it out on the menu," Mr Farmer said.
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Farmer → call → menu
Labelling reform push
APL is pushing for labelling laws similar to those that now apply to Australian seafood, requiring food chains and restaurants to declare where their product is from.
"
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product → push → where
It's just extremely inconsistent out there at the moment," Mr Farmer said.
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Farmer → say → moment
"You go into a McDonald's and you've got Aussie beef on the packaging of a Big Mac and you go to a different chain and you don't get anything."
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you → go → anything
GYG has defended its decision to use imported pork, saying it depends on "seasonal quality, availability and pricing".
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it → defend → quality
"At GYG, we're a proud supporter of Australian farmers, sourcing hundreds of tonnes of fresh, high quality produce every week," a spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → source → produce
"We prioritise Australian fresh produce and Australian-manufactured goods, from our chicken and beef to the avocados, and the tomatoes."
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We → prioritise → avocados
The company said it was also focused on providing customers "fresh, clean food without compromising on price".
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it → say → price
Seasonality claim doesn't wash with farmers
Northern Victorian pig producer Tim Kingma is disappointed GYG uses imported pork.
uncertain
GYG → wash → pork
"Australian pork producers have some of the strongest rules around animal welfare, around our labour and around our environment," Mr Kingma said.
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Kingma → have → environment
"And we think we produce a great quality product."
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we → think → product
Mr Kingma has questioned GYG's statement about fresh, quality produce, saying it "can't be fresher than buying local".
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it → question → produce
He says he is confused by the company's comments about seasonal availability.
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he → say → availability
"That reasoning doesn't wash at all," Mr Kingma said.
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Kingma → wash → ?
"
Pork imports worth $1b
Australia allows the importation of pig meat under strict biosecurity conditions to protect local herds from the transmission of exotic diseases.
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Australia → allow → diseases
In 2025, Australia imported 167 thousand tonnes of pork and pig meat products worth just over $1 billion.
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Australia → import → pork
Pig farmers estimate that over 40 per cent of pork consumed in Australia comes from overseas.
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cent → estimate → Australia
It's used in food service, restaurants, fast food chains and pubs, as well as processed small goods such as ham and bacon.
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It → use → ham
Research commissioned by APL earlier this year shows Australian consumers would back more detailed labelling.
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consumers → commission → labelling
"Nine in 10 Aussies want pork origin labelled on the menu," Mr Farmer said.
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Farmer → want → menu
"Almost two thirds, in fact, say they'd be happy to pay a little bit more for it …so we know that there's that preference, but they're not able to make that informed choice."
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they → say → choice
The Federal Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins and her department have been contacted for comment.
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Minister → contact → comment
The Aporia