AUSTRALIAN SUPERMARKET CHAIN ‘Coles’ is facing legal action over claims that bread products advertised as being “baked today, sold today” were in fact made in Ireland.
The country’s consumer watchdog, the ACCC, says the company is misleading consumers by claiming the bread has been baked from scratch in-store, when in fact many products are ‘parbaked’ overseas.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, court documents show that some of the items on display on the retailers shelves were reheated from frozen and advertised with labels like “freshly baked in-store”.
The issue was brought to light by the former premier of Victoria state Jeff Kennett last year, after he purchased a loaf from Coles’ ‘Cuisine Royal’ range with a ‘Made in Ireland’ label.
He urged the ACCC to take action, claiming the retailer was conning customers.
Chairman of the watchdog body Rod Sims said consumers needed to be able to make informed decisions about their purchases, adding that it was important people were “confident in claims made about food they buy”.
The case is scheduled to go ahead in Melbourne in August. The supermarket chain could be hit with an injunction and fines, and compelled to publish corrective notices on its website and in-store.
A spokesperson for Coles said the company planned to vigorously defend itself against the action.
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