Page 8 - NPN November22

ACCC urged to review fake meat in crackdown
Dodgy pet food sent to doghouse
NEW procedures for imported ani- mal-based pet food through the mail will see items destroyed if they don’t pass muster.
food to pets,” Dr Locke said.
Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity and Com- pliance Dr Chris Locke said the new measures were to control the risk of diseases.
Studies have found that pet food can be fed to livestock, such as pigs and chickens, and can even be consumed by wild animals.
“Animal-based pet food often contains high-risk ingredients such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish,” Dr Locke said.
“If you’re an import- er and want to bring animal-based pet food into Australia, you will need to make sure you are meeting Australia’s biosecurity condi- tions, otherwise you could see your product destroyed,” Dr Locke said.
“If pet foods aren’t up to par, they can be a disease risk to not only our pets but livestock as well.”
“Australia’s biosecuri- ty system is world lead- ing and has allowed us to keep a lot of pests and diseases at bay.
Pet food can contain disease pathogens, such as foot and mouth dis- ease, lumpy skin dis- ease, African swine fever and avian influ- enza, which can all in- fect livestock.
“We can all do our part to support Austral- ian biosecurity.”
“Unfortunately, peo- ple don’t just feed pet
For more information, visit agriculture.gov. au/biosecurity-trade/ travelling/bringing- mailing-goods#pet- food-and-treats.
THE Australian Com- improving environmental that concerns were re- the animal protein.
ing concerns that some businesses are falsely pro- moting their environmen- tal or green credentials.”
petition and Consumer Commission’s recently announced crackdown on businesses making misleading environ- mental and sustainabil- ity claims has triggered meat industry calls for closer scrutiny on the ‘fake meat’ sector.
outcomes in Australia. “With environmental concerns becoming a heightened priority for many Australians, con- sumers deserve robust truth in labelling regula- tions that ensure heavily processed manufactured plant-based proteins can- not peddle false or mis- leading environmental or
ceived about information found on the packaging of plant-based protein prod- ucts which was inaccurate or not supported by sound evidence.
This was despite the ACCC having its own compliance and enforce- ment policy, which gave it the power to investigate a new or emerging market issue or where their action is likely to have an educa- tive or deterrent effect.
“Misleading claims about products or servic- es undermine consumer trust and confidence in the market.
Several groups raised concerns during last year’s Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Com- mittee inquiry into defini- tions of meat over mar- keting claims made by plant-based protein manu- facturers.
sustainability claims. “We look forward to working with the Alba- nese Government to deliv- er on its election commit- ment to ensure accurate and clear food labelling rules for manufactured plant-based protein prod-
In particular, references were made to a study by the University of Mel- bourne, which found that plant-based protein com- panies made a range of claims about the benefits of their products, which included nutritional, en- vironmental, animal wel- fare and food security claims.
The Australian Farm Institute also noted that some marketing language used by the plant-based protein sector portrayed animal proteins in a nega- tive manner, using mis- leading and inaccurate information.
“In looking at claims we are concerned about what the ordinary consumer will understand the claim to mean.
Red Meat Advisory Council independent chair John McKillop has urged the ACCC to take more action, saying that if the regulator was serious about scrutinising organi- sations that overstate or mislead consumers about their environmental cre- dentials, the fake meat sector would be high on their target list.
However, the study over- all found that few com- panies provided evidence or data to support their claims.
Generalised statements on environmental stew- ardship issues such as water-use and greenhouse gas emissions do not con- sider or portray the wide range of farming manage- ment practices utilised in the animal protein sector.
“The ACCC won’t hesi- tate to take enforcement action where we see that consumers are being mis- led or deceived by green claims,” Ms Rickard said.
“Disappointingly, the ACCC has demonstrated a complete lack of ap- preciation of the labelling and marketing issues sur- rounding plant-based sub- stitutes, as was highlight- ed throughout the recent senate inquiry process,” Mr McKillop said.
raised during the inquiry, and the ACCC’s recently announced crackdowns on companies making misleading environmental claims, and was asked if the competition regula- tor believed manufactur- ers of plant-based protein products were justified in making claims of envi- ronmental superiority.
These claims were un- substantiated and ignored work and investment by the industry to reduce its environmental footprint, leading to concerns the claims would lead to rep- utational loss for the live- stock sector.
The AFI stated it was in- cumbent on lawmakers to ensure any public claims made about a company’s or competitor’s products are truthful and accurate. The ACCC won’t hesi- tate to take enforcement action
Broad terms such as ‘en- vironmentally friendly’, ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ have limited value and may mislead consumers, as they rarely provide enough information about what that exactly means in terms of the product or service consumers are considering purchasing.
“Our concerns about misinformation were validated by the Senate Inquiry report, which agreed environmental and animal welfare statements being made for some fake meat products were con- cerning and failed to ac- knowledge the livestock sector’s commitment and substantial progress in
“Whether or not a par- ticular claim is mislead- ing requires consideration of the individual circum- stances in each case, and the overall impression conveyed to consumers by the claim.”
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said, “As consumers become in- creasingly interested in purchasing sustainable products, there are grow-
“Where we have con- cerns, we will be asking businesses to substantiate their claims.”
ucts.”
In light of the issues
Livestock sector repre- sentatives also expressed frustration at what they viewed as dishonest and misrepresenting claims made in marketing of plant-based alternatives about the environmental impacts of livestock pro- duction.
In an earlier statement, the ACCC also warned businesses that they need to be ready to substantiate any environmental or sus- tainability claims when marketing their goods and services.
In response, the ACCC provided, “Under the Aus- tralian Consumer Law businesses must not mis- lead or deceive consum- ers in their advertising or marketing.”
During the inquiry, RMAC questioned the ACCC’s lack of action to investigate mislead- ing labelling of plant- based protein products, particularly those that made unsubstantiated claims about health and environmental benefits, both in favour of plant- based foods and against
In its recent announce- ments, the ACCC said at least 200 company web- sites will be reviewed in a sweep for misleading en- vironmental claims across a range of targeted sectors including energy, vehi- cles, household products and appliances, food and drink packaging, cosmet- ics, clothing and footwear.
“It is important that businesses can back up the claims they are mak- ing, whether through re- liable scientific reports, transparent supply chain information, reputable third-party certification, or other forms of evi- dence,” Ms Rickard said.
Inquiry heard multiple concerns
The committee’s final report in February noted
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