Darling Downs Bacon Co-operative Association Limited, producer of KR Darling Downs brand ham, bacon and smallgoods, has given the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission an undertaking that it will amend its advertising to reflect the fact that not all of its products are made from 100 per cent Australian pork.
The undertaking follows a recent ACCC investigation into claims made by Darling Downs in television and newspaper advertisements that all KR Darling Downs products are made from 100 per cent Australian pork.
"In fact, only KR Darling Downs refrigerated products are made from 100 percent Australian pork," ACCC Chairman, Professor Allan Fels, said today. "Between December 1996 and February 1998, KR Darling Downs canned leg ham and shoulder ham products were made in the USA from pork grown in the USA."
In February 1998, Darling Downs ceased producing canned leg ham and shoulder ham products in the USA under the KR Darling Downs label but holds sufficient stock to last until approximately early 1999.
"Darling Downs was quick to suspend its advertising and cooperated fully with the ACCC in achieving a swift resolution of the matter."
Darling Downs has given the ACCC a court-enforceable undertaking that it will:
- qualify future advertising until sufficient time has passed after the last release in Australia of the USA made canned leg ham and shoulder ham products to allow for them to have left the retail market;
- publish corrective notices in national newspapers and in the Business Queensland publication, apologising to consumers and offering refunds to those who may have been misled; and
- implement a trade practices compliance program which is compliant with the newly developed Australian Standard for Compliance Programs AS-3806.
"The ACCC takes a very serious view of potentially misleading statements about the country of origin of products, as many consumers put a lot of effort into buying Australian", Professor Fels said. "In this instance, the ACCC was also concerned to protect the interests of Australian pork producers who compete against imported pork meat."