The humble egg is one of the more commonly recalled foods, with Australian egg producers affected by six separate food recalls to date in 2019 alone. A reasonably large recall was declared on 20 March 2019, as Bridgewater Poultry eggs were recalled across Australia after infecting five people with a rare strain of salmonella enteritidis. … Read more
By Amelia Edwards (Senior Associate) and Adrian Faelli (Lawyer) A manufacturer of bottled alkaline water, endorsed by celebrity chef Pete Evans, has fallen foul of the advertising industry’s Food and Beverages Advertising and Marketing Communications Code (the Code). But, given the nature of the claims made in relation to this product, is this an issue … Read more
A recent case in the Magistrates Court of Victoria is a timely reminder to check that safety guards are fully operational and to promptly remove faulty machinery from production for repair. What happened? A machine that individually wrapped small cakes and muffins in plastic film was fed the food product by two conveyors to the … Read more
By Chrystie Siapkas (Lawyer) and Koula Politis (Senior Associate) A study published earlier this month in the Medical Journal of Australia revealed a concerning truth. Melbourne researchers tested 256 commonly-bought manufactured “gluten free”-labelled products and reported that almost 3% of these products actually contained small amounts of gluten, meaning that these products did not comply … Read more
By Stephanie Koumbarakos (Trainee Lawyer) and Jack Stuk (Principal Solicitor) Mixologists of bespoke cocktail or craft beer are taking their talents from the bar and delivering it to consumers to enjoy at home with handcrafted and locally produced alcoholic drinks being bottled for retail sale. This shift to production for retail sale may not be … Read more
By Stephanie Koumbarakos (Trainee Lawyer) and Koula Politis (Senior Associate) Australia’s largest honey company, Capilano, is one of the retail brands stung for producing adulterated honey products sold in Australian retail outlets. The complaints arose after 28 samples of various brands tested by a leading international laboratory were found to contain ingredients other than honey. … Read more
Recent court decisions regarding serious safety incidents involving companies in the food industry are an important reminder of the safety risks and serious injuries that can result from unguarded food machinery and equipment during use, cleaning and maintenance. In these cases, the companies involved were found to be in breach of their duties under the Occupational … Read more
By Stephanie Koumbarakos (Trainee Lawyer) and Amelia Edwards (Lawyer) Whether or not to conduct a food recall is a nightmare most food producers and manufacturers don’t want to contemplate. As at 3 April 2018, a rockmelon-related listeria outbreak has resulted in six confirmed deaths and caused serious illness in at least 13 others. The incident, … Read more
By Josephine Mammone (Trainee Lawyer) and Amelia Edwards (Lawyer) A significant decision of the Federal Court, handed-down on 19 March 2018, has found that Heinz misled consumers as to the nutrition and health benefits of its SHREDZ products, aimed at children aged 1-3 years of age. Heinz marketed its SHREDZ ‘Little Kids’ range to parents … Read more
