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Aussie company caught flogging 'Australian-made' juice straight from China

Company sells 'Australian-made' juice product straight from China
Company sells 'Australian-made' juice product straight from China

An Aussie company has been caught red-handed trying to flog an ‘Australian made’ juice product that comes from China.

The consumer watchdog found that The Real Juice Company, which supplies juice products to Superbarn as a ‘home brand’ product, misled customers with its labels.

The labels on its apple juice product deceptively inferred the contents were made from fresh Australian apples.

The labels contained the phrases ‘“It’s produced locally using the freshest quality Apples,’ ‘Straight From a Farm’ and ‘Made in Griffith’.

In actual fact, the juice product was made from reconstituted apple juice concentrate imported from China.

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The company also misled customers about the ingredients of its cranberry juice product.

The labels on the cranberry juice product claimed it has ‘no added sugar; no artificial flavours; no artificial colours; no preservatives”.

Yet the product contained added sugar and other additives.

To really drive home the point, the label also included the statements “So if you like your juice fresh with nothing else added” and “It’s really just fruit juice!”

The ACCC said truth in advertising was a priority for the watchdog and fined Superbarn and The Real Juice Company $20,400 each.

"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," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

"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."

The products were withdrawn in March 2015 after the ACCC raised the issue.

It is not the first time the ACCC has cracked down on ‘Australian–made’ products actually made in China.

In March this year, a distributing co-operative was fined $10,200 for selling ‘Aussie Beer’.

The ‘Aussie Beer’ was packaged in green and gold colours and accompanied by the words ‘made from Australia’s finest malt’ and ‘100% owned’ written within a map of Australia.

But the product was in fact made in China.

Coles has also been in the consumer watchdog’s sights, with a $2.5 million fine for its 'freshly baked' bread claims.

The supermarket giant was also in hot water last year for promoting ‘Spring fruit and veg’ when in fact its apples were picked four months earlier and placed in cold storage.