Gourmet food producer Maggie Beer Products has been taken to task by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The issue? Labelling on the products didn’t make it clear that not all were made at the organisation’s Tanunda base.
The company — long associated with the Barossa region — has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking to ensure that its products are labelled accurately to identify the source. The big issue? Products were labelled with a tag saying “A Barossa Food Tradition”, but some ice cream, biscuits and olive oil were actually produced in Victoria, and some vinegar was produced in Queensland. The company will now amend its labels to make that clear.
The products were labelled “Products of Australia”, so the issue does centre around the general “Barossa Food Tradition” branding. “Consumers are often willing to pay premium prices for local products and businesses are following consumer demand by stocking local goods. Protecting the integrity of credence claims made about food products is a priority enforcement area for the ACCC,” chairman Rod Sims said in a statement announcing the settlement.
The ACCC has consistently warned food providers to be clear about the origin and source of ingredients. Recent cases including King Island Meat that wasn’t from King Island, Kangaroo Island honey that wasn’t from Kangaroo Island and /”fresh baked” bread made from frozen dough sourced from overseas.
Comments
2 responses to “Maggie Beer Products Deemed Misleading As They Weren’t From The Barossa Valley”
Yeah but she’s still a celebrity right?
Good, then she can carry on charging more than other food producers.
Yes, this is what the ACCC should be focusing on. Low volume, premium food products whose labels may be slightly misleading.