Onions Australia presents Tony Abbott with cooked onions
It remains unclear why Mr Abbott bit into an unpeeled, raw Tasmanian onion last week but it sparked a media frenzy and a spate of raw onion eating 'PM-style'.
Even ABC Canberra breakfast producer Elliot Dunn accepted the challenge, which was captured and shared by supportive colleagues.
Onions Australia chief executive Lechelle Earl does not recommend the practice but conceded she had not tried it herself and could therefore not comment on taste value.
Ms Earl did however give "mad props" to the nation's leader for providing a platform to the industry, to promote the quality of Australian-grown onions.
"We're genuinely surprised, but delighted, by the airplay that Aussie onions are getting at the moment, particularly in the wake of dramas surrounding United States imports into Australia," she said.
"We've been campaigning for some time now, to get independent retailers to stop importing US onions. It just goes to show that if the PM can pick up a fresh Aussie onion and bite straight into it, it demonstrates how clean and green our onions are."
Onions Australia hope Mr Abbott will help spark a grassroots campaign that urges consumers to support local growers.
"It's a rather light-hearted way of continuing on with our message," Ms Earl said. "Both Coles and Woolworths have given a commitment that they will only stock Australian onions and we certainly commend them for that, but we need to keep this conversation up with the smaller retailers."
Ms Earl hopes to discuss the matter with Mr Abbott and share some recommendations about the more traditional ways to consume onions.
"I'm happy for him to continue eating whole onions but possibly just peel them first," she said. "That skin's a real killer."
Source: abc.net.au
