Supabarn's fruit juices claim "Made in Griffith" when really from China, says ACCC

Esther Han
May 28, 2015
The Age
Picking up a house brand apple juice at a Supabarn store, you may have believed it used fruit from a quaint farm at the heart of NSW’s Riverina.
But a consumer watchdog investigation has found Supabarn’s two litre apple juice, manufactured by the Real Juice Company and marked “Made in Griffith, actually used reconstituted concentrate from China.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission revealed on Thursday the supermarket chain and the juice manufacturer have each paid penalties totalling $20,400 for the false representations.
It said Supabarn’s private label two litre cranberry juice also falsely declared “no added sugar, no artificial flavours, no artificial colours, no preservatives” when the juice contained added sugar and other additives.
“The claims we say were made versus the reality in this situation are very concerning, particularly given recent controversy over the source of some food products,” says ACCC chair Rod Sims.
“In addition, false or misleading claims of this kind not only mislead consumers, but can also disadvantage competing suppliers in the market, especially those who are using Australian grown fruit.”
A Suparbarn spokesman cried foul, saying in its original statement to Fairfax Media that the supermarket was a “victim” as much as its customers.
“Supabarn itself was misled by Real Juice about the composition of its product. Supabarn is considering its legal position in relation to the conduct of Real Juice,” he said.
The falsely labelled products were sold at least between January 2014 and March 2015. Supabarn said it immediately withdrew the products from its shelves once it became aware of the labelling problems.
The label on the apple juice product also falsely claimed: “It’s produced locally using the freshest quality Apples” and “Straight From a Farm”.
The label on the cranberry juice product also falsely said: “So if you like your juice fresh with nothing else added” and “It’s really just fruit juice!”
“Both manufacturers and retailers can be responsible for representations made on packaging or labelling of the products they supply, and each level in the supply chain should have systems in place to ensure that their products are compliant with the Australian Consumer Law,” Mr Sims said.
Supabarn owns and operates four supermarkets in Canberra and five in Sydney, including in Five Dock and Sutherland.
The Real Juice Company is an Australian owned and operated manufacturer of juice products located in Griffith, NSW.
Fairfax Media has contacted Tony Taliano for comment. On its website, the company said it was proud to support local growers.
“Our 100 per cent fruit juice is just that: 100 per cent fruit, with no added sugar or harmful chemicals… Our philosophy is simple: to provide our consumers with real juice.”