Trust Mark

Authenticity is important to our industry. We believe that cider drinkers should be able to easily identify where the fruit in a cider comes from. This is difficult or impossible with the information currently provided on labels. The trust mark calls out what makes Australian craft ciders unique – the fact they are made with 100% Australian grown apples or pears.

By choosing ciders that display the trust mark, you are supporting Australian fruit growers and their regional communities and boosting Australian jobs in the craft cider industry. You will also be assured that the cider is made with Australian grown fruit that meets Australia’s strict food safety, health and other regulatory requirements.

The trust mark will be used on labels, cartons and other packaging, marketing collateral, websites, taps and other materials to identify products made with 100% Australian grown fruit. It may also be used on t-shirts, caps and other collateral to kickstart conversations about the trust mark and what it means.

No, the juice in a cider can be freshly pressed from whole fruit (which is most likely to be Australian grown), or reconstituted from juice concentrate (which is most likely to be imported). We estimate around 85 per cent of the cider sold in Australia is made from imported concentrate!

The trust mark is an industry-led and owned initiative. It is part of a larger campaign to build a sustainable craft cider industry in Australia and establish an export market for local brands. Cider Australia owns the trust mark and is fully responsible for managing its use.

This trust mark has been developed with the support of levy funds from the Australian Apple Marketing Levy, managed by Hort Innovation, and the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package which is funding initiatives to help market and grow Australian craft cider internationally.

Only 10 per cent of the cider sold in Australia is made from Australian grown fruit (IRI Worldwide, MAT to 02/02/2020, Off-premise value). A small share of the cider sold is imported cider of known juice authenticity (ie New Zealand cider made from fruit grown in New Zealand). The rest is cider produced in Australia using imported juice inputs. Our issue with cider made from imported juice is that producers are not required to explicitly state where the juice originates. Few, if any, producers that use imported juice concentrate are honest about its origin, which would indicate that this is something producers do not like disclosing.

No, not at all. We want to see honesty in labelling and our trust mark is all about promoting that. There are many high quality international craft ciders available in Australia and these offer a different taste and complexity for consumers, and the cider category in Australia is richer and more diverse as a result.

We simply believe that an Australian Craft Cider should be made from Australian juice, and likewise we’d expect an English Craft Cider to be made from juice grown in England.

Cider can be made with freshly pressed juice, or from juice concentrate. To make cider from juice concentrate, the concentrate is reconstituted by adding water and is then fermented.

From a quality perspective, not all concentrate is equal. Great cider can be made from quality concentrate, particularly where cider apples are used. However the bulk of concentrate used in cider production in Australia is low quality, imported product.

The trust mark can be used on ciders containing juice concentrate made from 100% Australian grown fruit, though at this time concentrating juice is not a common practice in Australia.

‘Craft’ means different things to different people, but Cider Australia defines Australian Craft Cider to be a product that contains 100% Australian Grown apples and pears. It can contain water and sugar, but any ingredients that are ‘grown’ must be grown in Australia.

If you are a bar, pub, restaurant or liquor retailer you can use the trust mark to promote Australian craft cider made from 100% Australian grown juice. You could display the trust mark on menus and beverage lists, on taps, on shelves or shelf-talkers, banners or holding special events. If you have any questions about which products are eligible to use the trust mark, contact Cider Australia.

You can help the cause by asking for ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit. You can also share the love on social media with #drinkaustraliancider #australiancider #cideraustralia

1. If you are not already a member of Cider Australia, join
2. Check that your ciders meet the product eligibility requirements
3. Apply to Cider Australia for permission to use the trust mark (email us) and enter into an agreement that sets out the terms of use.

After that, you can use the trust mark on eligible products in accordance with the Brand Guidelines. 

The trust mark can be used on products containing 1.15% ABV or above that meet the following requirements:

1. 100% of the apples and apple juice concentrate and pears and pear juice concentrate used were grown in Australia (note it is a requirement of our Trade Mark that we require any ingredients that are ‘grown’, such as fruits, vegetables or spices, to be grown in Australia)  
2. the product is defined as a cider or a fruit wine under Standard 2.7.3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (ie it is fermented apple/pear juice and above 1.15% ABV for cider or 8% for fruit wine)
3. the product contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight, and
4. the product does not contain added ethyl alcohol from any other source.

The trust mark can also be used on low-alcohol (less than 1.15% ABV) and alcohol free products that meet the following requirements:

1. 100% of the apples and apple juice concentrate and pears and pear juice concentrate used were grown in Australia (note it is a requirement of our Trade Mark that we require any ingredients that are ‘grown’, such as fruits, vegetables or spices, to be grown in Australia)  
2. the product contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight, and
3. the product does not contain added ethyl alcohol from any other source.

Users must enter into a licensing agreement with Cider Australia as we own the 100% Australian Grown Trade Mark. The licensing agreement between Cider Australia and users of the trust mark will set out the rules for use, including what happens if the trust mark is used incorrectly.

No, there is no fee to use the trust mark. However you must be a financial member of Cider Australia which has an annual fee.

Cider Australia ensures appropriate use of the trust mark in two ways:

1. Only members of Cider Australia can apply to use the trust mark.  
2. Trust mark applicants may be subject to independent verification through an audit of records. 

Any claims made on products or in marketing materials are covered by the remit of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and it is an offence to make false or misleading claims.

These rules are designed to ensure the trust mark is used with integrity and that ciders displaying the trust mark meet a minimum industry quality standard.

The primary purpose of the trust mark is to signify that a cider contains 100% Australian grown fruit. It would be misleading to use the trust mark on a product that does not contain entirely local juice so this must be a requirement.

Adhering to the legal definition of cider is also an essential minimum requirement. We permit use of the trust mark on ciders that contains other ingredients such as fruits other than apples or pears, spices, honey and grain. These products are actually defined as a fruit wine rather than a cider under Australia laws, however, as long as at least half of the volume by weight is apple and/or pear juice, we allow the trust mark to be used.

Cider Australia does not believe the current FSANZ definition of cider goes far enough (read more about this here). The UK and US both require a minimum juice content in ciders, and we consider this to also be an appropriate minimum standard for cider in Australia. Imposing this requirement on ciders that use the trust mark will impose a minimum standard and ensure that they meet local product requirements if exported to the UK and US.

The FSANZ definition of cider permits alcohol additions. This is inconsistent with WET definition which does not permit ethyl alcohol from any other (non-apple/pear) source to be added. Imposing this requirement ensures that RTD/alcopop-style beverages cannot use the trust mark and establishes the groundwork to bring the FSANZ and WET definitions together. 

Cider Australia would like to see requirements 3 and 4 applied to all cider made and sold in Australia and will continue to lobby for this change. 

There is no legislated minimum juice content in Australia, unlike the UK, US and most other cider producing countries! Cider Australia believes 50% is an appropriate minimum standard to apply to all cider, and have decided to impose this requirement on ciders that use the trust mark. By doing this, we will ensure that any products that carry the trust mark meet minimum standards and local requirements if exported to the US.

The licensing agreement between Cider Australia and users of the trust mark will set out rules for use, including what happens if the trust mark is used incorrectly. Licensees must maintain appropriate records and permit inspection of these records on reasonable notice. If we suspect misuse, we are able to direct a licensee to stop using the trust mark.

Yes, the trust mark can be used on low- and no alcohol products as long as they meet the stated eligibility criteria. When naming low- and no alcohol products, users of the trust mark are reminded that they must comply with the requirements in Standard 2.7.3, in particular that cider is defined as a product containing 1.15% ABV or above. Neither a fermented/partially fermented product containing less than 1.15% ABV, nor a non-fermented juice product (carbonated or non-carbonated), meet the definition of ‘cider’ under Standard 2.7.3 and should not be named as such, even if they are eligible to use the trust mark.

Our intention with the trust mark is to promote ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code defines any cider containing non-apple/pear ingredients, such as cherry or ginger, as a ‘fruit wine’. As long as a product contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight and all the ingredients are 100% Australian grown, we will permit the trust mark to be used.   

By choosing ciders that display the trust mark, you are supporting Australian fruit growers and their regional communities and boosting Australian jobs in the craft cider industry.

You will also be assured that the cider is made with Australian grown juice that meets Australia’s strict food safety, health and other regulatory requirements.

If you are a bar, pub, restaurant or liquor retailer you can use the trust mark to promote Australian craft cider made from 100% Australian grown juice. You could display the trust mark on menus and beverage lists, on taps, on shelves or shelf-talkers, banners or holding special events.

If you have any questions about which products are eligible to use the trust mark, get in touch.

You can help the cause by asking for ciders made with 100% Australian grown juice. You can also share the love on social media with #backtoearth #cideraustralia