Premium food maker, Barossa Farm Produce, has been found to have misled consumers by using white pig meat in its black pig small-goods range.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), product labels stated that the pork in the range was from premium Berkshire pigs, when they predominantly contained white pig meat.
Berkshire pork is known for its texture and flavour due to a higher fat-to-meat ratio than white pig breeds, qualities that make Berkshire pork a premium meat product.
Saskia Beer, the daughter of renowned chef Maggie Beer is the sole director of Barossa Farm Produce, and a statement made on the websites www.saskiabeer.com and www.barossafarmproduce.com that “we know the origin of every animal that makes its way onto the plate” was also misleading, according to the ACCC.
"A business must not make claims about the characteristics of its products when it has no reasonable basis for doing so,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said. "False credence claims in respect of food products are a priority area for the ACCC."
According to Beer, it was an isolated instance and was unintentional. The issue arose, she said, as a result of miscommunication on the part of a supplier and a failure to adequately verify, in this instance, the source of the product.
Barossa Farm Produce has accepted an undertaking to not mislead customers again, according to the ACCC, and will publish a corrective notice on its website. Beer has also agreed to attend trade practices compliance training.
The consumer watchdog is also looking into some brands of cheap honey imports which may not meet local food standards and labelling laws.
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council claims ‘Victoria Honey’, a product made in Turkey, and three other products are not made from honey and are most likely made from corn syrup.
According to a Fairfax Media report, ACCC officials said they were preparing to act on the complaints and would make an announcement within weeks.
The Council also notes that products with names like ‘Victoria Honey’ mislead consumers because they look to come from Australia.
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council said it was the low cost of the honey that triggered its interest.
