NSW food retailers are being reminded to ensure the labels they display are not breaking the law, the State Government has warned. The warning follows recent reports by the NSW Food Authority of a small number of food retail businesses breaching the Country of Origin labelling of unpackaged fresh produce.
These have included the labelling of fresh fruit where the label states: ‘Mixture of local and imported ingredients,’ but investigation by the Authority revealed no local product present in the produce.
"Labelling imported food as Australian is up there with one of the most un-Australian things you can do," Minister for Primary Industries Steve Whan said.
"You’re ripping off the consumer, you’re ripping off the farmer and you’re short changing the entire nation.”
Warning letters have been issued to the offending businesses. The maximum penalty for breaching Country of Origin labelling is $55,000 for an individual and $275,000 for a corporation.
"In light of these recent findings the NSW Food Authority has issued a communiqué to NSW Councils and relevant food retailers reminding them of their obligations under the Food Standards Code and the Food Act 2003 in regards to Country of Origin labelling,” Minister Whan said.
In the past twelve months the Authority has prosecuted a number of Country of Origin labelling breaches including the largest fine ever imposed in NSW in relation to food labelling: –
- Primo Pty Ltd fined $233,325 plus $200,000 costs for 63 breaches relating to imported pork labelled as Australian
- Shellharbour Square Fish Market fined more than $40,000 and $11,700 in costs for eight Country of Origin breaches of the Food Act
- KM Baron Pty Ltd fined more than $6,000 and $19,990 in costs for six breaches relating to the labelling of imported asparagus as Australian
Further information about Country of Origin food labelling can be found here.