Today is ANZAC day 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 ... so let me tell you about the regulations!
Firstly, “ANZAC” stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and this date marks the anniversary of 25 April 1915, the first major military action fought by Australian & New Zealand forces during the WW1.
It's a national public holiday where we commemorate and remember the Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women who have laid down their lives in shaping our great nations and defending our way of life.
There's many ways we mark the occasion, but many people's favourite is buying or baking ANZAC Biscuits. If you haven't tried them - they are SO GOOD 🤤
They're heavily flavoured by their key ingredients: golden syrup, brown sugar, rolled oats and desiccated coconut 🥥 ... and they're also heavily regulated!
In fact, use of the word ANZAC itself (and my personal favourite treat the ANZAC Biscuit) has been for more than 100 years!
The "Protection of Word 'Anzac' Regulations 1921 (Cth)" broadly state that to use the word 'Anzac' (or any word resembling the word 'Anzac') in an official or corporate manner, permission from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs is required.
So for instance this post is fine, but if I were to sell something with the word ANZAC in it, register a domain name, or try to raise funds, I'd need to apply to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
And they do NOT let mess with their biscuit recipe!
"The use of the word ‘Anzac’ in the commercial production and sale of Anzac biscuits is usually approved, however the biscuits must not substantially deviate from the generally accepted recipe and shape, and must be referred to as 'Anzac Biscuits' or 'Anzac Slice' (not ‘Anzac Cookies’)."
In 2024, "cookies" are something eaten by blue puppet monsters and deleted from web browsers, and in Australia - on ANZAC day at least - this is enshrined in legislation.
Exemptions are granted for dietary requirements, but atrocities 🤒 like adding chocolate chips or fruit are NOT permitted.
Now I know I'm a regulation & #compliance bro 🤓 so I am biased - but I don't think this is over-reach.
ANZAC day is a huge deal in Australia, and the recipe is sacred; it comes from a time of wartime hardship & scarce ingredients, combined with the need to produce something delicious AND hardy enough to survive a several week trip to the frontlines.
Adding extra ingredients is a privilege they didn't have, and we wouldn't either if not for their sacrifice shaping Australia into the ripper of a country it is today.
What better way of honouring this than avoiding Americanism ("cookie") and sticking with the original - and DELICIOUS - ingredients and terminology?
As we like to say on this day... "Lest we forget."
Business Development Manager at VFS | F1 Fan | LH44
2moGreat picture, nice to see so many familiar faces 😊