Australian supermarket chain Coles has told a Partliamentary Inquiry that competition policy in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is currently the “most restrictive in Australia” and is leaving consumers at a disadvantage. The statement was made in Coles’ submission to the Legislative Assembly for the ACT Select Committee’s inquiry into supermarket competition. The purpose of the inquiry is to review the ACT’s Supermarket Competition Policy (SCP), established in... ...Read more »

Victoria-based Simplot Australia has recalled a batch of its imported tinned tuna sold in Woolworths, Coles, IGA and other independent supermarkets across Australia. Simplot Australia, a subsidiary of American food company Simplot, said the batch is being recalled because of the possible presence of glass fragments in the products. The recalled product is ‘John West Tuna Tempters Sweet Seeded Mustard’, sold in 95g cans and printed with the batch code ’4ER12′ on the ring pull... ...Read more »

A report on Australia’s poultry industry, released by the National Union of Workers (NUW), suggests an employment “crisis” in Australia’s poultry industry is having a damaging impact on the quality of products on supermarket shelves. According to the NUW, while the supermarkets may want Australian consumers to believe they are always buying top quality chicken products, often that is not the case. The NUW’s report, entitled ‘Better Work 4 Better Chicken’, suggests that pressure from... ...Read more »

Australian-owned company Fantastic Snacks is recalling batches of their 2 minute noodles sold in Australia because of the “presence of unpleasant odour” and a “stale taste”. The company is recalled the batches, which are sold in Coles and IGA supermarkets and independent stores in New South Wales and interstate. The recalled products are: Fantastic 2 Minute Noodles Chicken Flavour 12 Pack in 1.02kg rectangular cardboard box Fantastic 2 Minute Noodles Beef Flavour 12 Pack in 1.02kg rectangular... ...Read more »

Australia’s leading pie manufacturers are the latest to have “voluntarily” agreed to reduce salt levels in thier products over the next two years as part of the Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue. The Food and Health Dialogue, which comprises leading manufacturers and retailers as well as the Australian Government, met in Canberra on 23 March 2012 to discuss plans to reduce salt content in their food products. Savoury Pies Impacted The Dialogue is currently engaging the savoury... ...Read more »

More than 60 per cent of senior executives in Australia believe the Australian Government should intervene in, and regulate, the activities of Australia’s two leading supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, according to a survey undertaken by international law firm Baker & McKenzie. Baker and McKenzie surveyed 162 senior executives in Australia to ascertain the hurdles their businesses face, and what actions governments and regulators need to take to ensure that Australians will continue to... ...Read more »

A social media stunt by Australian supermarket chain Coles has backfired, leaving the supermarket group facing a torrent of public criticism through Twitter. Coles had invited people on Twitter to finish the sentence, ‘In my house it’s a crime not to buy …..’. Within minutes, several Twitter users took up the invitation and responded with sentences that referred, in very critical tones, to the ongoing ‘price war’ Coles is engaged in with rival supermarket chain Woolworths. One tweet sarcastically... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has advised consumers of two product recalls, including an imported rice snack that may contain glass. Vitaco Healtheries Kidscare Rice Wheels batch Vitaco Health Australia Pty Ltd has recalled batches of its imported rice snacks sold in NSW and interstate in Woolworths, Safeway and Coles supermarkets, independent retailers and online stores. The company said it has recalled the batches because of the “possible presence of glass pieces”. The recalled... ...Read more »

Unibic, the maker of Australia’s iconic ANZAC biscuits, has been placed in voluntary administration. Production of biscuits at Unibic’s Broadmeadows plant has come to a stop, potentially endangering the jobs of 170 people in Melbourne. The administrators, insolvency law firm Lawler Draper Dillon, suggested the rising cost of raw ingredients and the pricing pressures applied by Coles and Woolworths may have been the cause of the insolvency. Unibic has been producing biscuits, cakes and pastries... ...Read more »

A new government report has highlighted the extent to which Australia’s two major supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, are monopolising the retailing of food in Australia. The market position of each of these two major supermarket groups is so powerful that Australian food suppliers feel they are facing a duopsony despite the competition existing between the two supermarket groups. The report, titled ‘Foodmap: An analysis of the Australian food supply chain’, was launched on... ...Read more »