Christchurch-based
NZ Nutritionals breached the Fair Trading Act when touting dietary supplements
containing imported ingredients as “New Zealand made”
The High Court ruled the description “NZ
made” when applied to food products implies that all ingredients are sourced
locally. Goats’ milk tablets
and goats’ milk powder sold by the company used goats’ milk sourced from Spain
and the Netherlands. Product was
processed in New Zealand into tablet form or bagged for retail sale as powder,
with further chemicals added to both products. Product packaging talked up the product as
“100% New Zealand made” and “100% NZ made and proud of it”. Justice Venning said online and retail
consumers would take from this labelling that the product was processed in New
Zealand from locally sourced goats’ milk.
NZ Nutritionals said these labels are no
longer used.
Commerce
Commission v. NZ Nutritionals (2004) Ltd – High Court (29.04.16)
16.068