WooHoo!! About time too! Coles fined over misleading home grown claims By a staff reporter of businessspectator.au Wesfarmers Ltd-owned Coles has paid $61,200 in infringement notices for alleged misleading representations about the country of origin of fresh produce made in five of its stores between March 2013 and May 2013. In a statement the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the fines related to six infringements in stores located Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. The ACCC said it took action following a complaint that Coles had displayed some imported navel oranges and kiwi fruit underneath price boards reading ‘Helping Australia Grow’ with the triangular ‘Australian Grown’ symbol. "The ACCC surveyed a number of Coles stores and found that the signage was also being used in other stores to advertise imported asparagus and almonds," the watchdog said. "The ACCC alleges that this signage gave the overall impression that the imported produce was Australian grown, when it was not. "The overseas country of origin was correctly identified either by stickers on the produce itself, on its packaging or under the display bin." The consumer watchdog said the relatively small sized stickers or statements were not sufficient to correct the overwhelming impression of the ‘Helping Australia Grow’ campaign imagery that was associated with the sale of the product. "Consumers should be able to rely on the accuracy of claims about food, particularly when they are prepared to pay a premium for products made in Australia," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said. "Misleading country of origin claims can also have a significant impact on the competitive process and hurt the local economy."
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:19:20 +0000
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