If you think companies have grown too bold with their marketing of “healthy” foods for kids, look no further than Heinz — just last Friday, it was ordered to pay a massive $2.25 million to the ACCC for “a misleading health claim” regarding its Little Kids Shredz product line.
It all started back in June 2016 when the ACCC took its first steps to challenge Heinz, with the original penalty standing at $10 million, according to the commission’s latest statement.
It wasn’t until March 2018 that the Federal Court found in favour of the ACCC, agreeing that “Heinz had breached the Australian Consumer Law by claiming its Shredz products were beneficial to the health of children aged 1-3 years, when this was not the case”.
If you want to know just how far Heinz pushed things:
The Court also found that Heinz nutritionists ought to have known that a representation that a product containing approximately two-thirds sugar was beneficial to health of children was misleading.
In addition to the $2.25 million fine, Heinz will have to cough up for the ACCC’s legal costs, as well as the establishment of a “consumer law compliance program”.
Heinz ordered to pay $2.25 million penalty over misleading health claim [ACCC, via Mumbrella]
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