Coca-Cola Amatil, Schweppes and Lion have launched a Federal Court of Australia action to challenge the legal validity of the Northern Territory’s container deposit scheme. The beverage giants made an application to have the scheme removed in which they would no longer be required to pay the 10 cent refund per beverage container that is returned. A Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) spokesperson said that if the application is successful, CCA will move “quickly” to reduce the prices of its Northern Territory... ...Read more »

Nestle Australia-owned Jenny Craig has assured its Australian consumers that there is no need to worry about horse meat in their ready-made weight loss meals. Jenny Craig Managing Director Amy Smith told Australian Food News today that there was no horse meat in its products, following news earlier this week that Nestle had found traces of horse meat in some other pasta brands sold in Italy and Spain. “In Australia and New Zealand, Jenny Craig sources 100 per cent of its red meat from Australia,”... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has hit back at new Greens’ initiated legislation regarding Country of Origin labelling regulations, examined by the Senate Committee this week. According to the AFGC, the Greens reform of the regulations will “mislead consumers”, “negatively impact export opportunities”, and “threaten 300,000 Australian jobs.” The new Bill from the Greens aims to distinguish between products made from Australian ingredients and products made from Australian... ...Read more »

A  NSW mid-North Coast abattoir has been added to the Food Authority’s ‘Name and Shame’ register following a lengthy hearing over “mutton dressed as lamb.” Tolsat Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $66,000 on December 19, 2012, in the NSW Chief Industrial Magistrates Court for wrongly labelling older meat such as hogget and mutton as lamb. A media release issued by the NSW Food Authority was headed “Un-Australian: Abattoir convicted of large scale lamb substitution.” This was despite... ...Read more »

Western Australia’s Minister for Racing and Gaming has appointed a committee to review the State’s existing liquor laws. The Review Committee is now calling for public submissions to be made by 25 February 2013 with a view to completing its report for the Minister by 30 June 2013. The Review Committee intends to examine the regulatory framework for the consumption, licensing, marketing and supply of liquor. The Review in Western Australia follows discussions relating to the application of the... ...Read more »

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a formal warning to McDonald’s in relation to its “Send to Friends” e-marketing campaign for McDonald’s Happy Meals. Various food companies in Australia have been criticised in the past year by consumer groups for targeting children in their marketing  (see recent Australian Food News reports such as criticism of Kellogg’s, criticism of junior sport promotion, and parental concerns about so-called pester power at supermarkets). Yet... ...Read more »

FoodLegal, one of Australia’s leading specialist legal firms in Food Law Compliance, has announced it is running an Intensive Workshop delving into the requirements of the new Health Claims Standard. On 8th November 2012, the government agency Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) released the Health Claims Standard. It seems that the ministers from all Australian federal and State jurisdictions, and New Zealand, who constitute the Food Regulation Forum, will accept this version of the new... ...Read more »

An Australian survey by leading consumer advocacy group CHOICE has found that many food manufacturers are using a “trade mark law loophole” to label food as “healthy,” even if they are high in fat and sugar. CHOICE’S study of 200 products with “healthy” trade-marked brand names found that almost half were high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium. The ability of a food manufacturer to secure a trade mark that includes the words “health” or similar words is limited by the Trade Marks... ...Read more »

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has today welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to introduce a foreign investment register. The register was announced by the Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard, during her address to the NFF’s 2012 National Congress this morning. The foreign investment register will provide a comprehensive picture of the specific size and locations of foreign agricultural landholdings in Australia. The foreign investment register announcement follows the launch... ...Read more »

Australian Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Joe Ludwig, has said he had received confidential advice about the “significant risk” of banning a fishing super-trawler, prior to the Australian government imposing the ban. In September this year, following an intervention by the Australian Minister for Environment, Tony Burke, and the introduction of additional environmental legislation – the Dutch super-trawler Abel Tasman, formerly named The Margiris, was banned for at least two years... ...Read more »