Aldi supermarkets and other Australian oregano suppliers misrepresented their sales of the herb and have committed to turning over a new leaf to Australia’s consumer watchdog.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Wednesday announced it had accepted enforceable undertakings from Aldi Foods and Menora Foods over their oregano supplies.
The ACCC initiated their probe after an investigation by the consumer advocacy group Choice found that a number of oregano products in supermarkets contained other types of leaves and herbs, and were not 100% oregano based. The test results undertaken by Choice showed that olive leaves were present in products by both suppliers.
The ACCC accepted undertakings from both suppliers that require them to make changes to how they market and determine the authenticity of oregano products.
“By labelling their products as ‘oregano’, both Aldi and Menora represented to consumers that their products contained only oregano,” the ACCC chairman, Rod Sims, said. “Test results provided to the ACCC identified the substantial presence of olive leaves in both Aldi and Menora’s oregano products.
“Suppliers of food products have an obligation to ensure ingredients of their products are accurately labelled and should be able to substantiate any representations made on the packaging that they approve.”
A number of other suppliers agreed to take greater steps to confirm the authenticity of their oregano supplies.
The ACCC’s oregano crackdown continues.
