Butchery roasted over organic claim

An Auckland butchery and its former owner have been fined $10,000 for falsely labelling products as organic and "allergy-free".

Clark's Organic Butchery, which styled itself "New Zealand's number one certified organic meat retailer", and ex-owner Jason Arthars were each fined $5000 in Waitakere District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to 11 charges, including deliberately labelling products as "certified organic" and "allergy free" when neither claim was true.

They had also been claimed the butchery was certified by Bio-Gro and Agriquality New Zealand (formerly Certenz), when in fact the Bio-Gro certification had lapsed at the end of August 2002 and the business had never been certified by Agriquality.

In his summing-up, Judge Hemi Taumaunu said the fine sent a clear message that those involved in organic food must be careful in labelling their products for the sake of consumer safety.

"Other traders may lose trade because publicity means consumers place less faith in organic goods," he said.

Commerce Commission fair trading director Deborah Battell said consumers were willing to pay more for organic goods because they trusted the integrity of producers.

"Arthars not only abused the trust of consumers but also unfairly brought into question the sincerity of all honest organic traders," she said.

The Glen Eden butchery was sold this year and the new owners were not associated with the offending.

This was the first time an organic supplier has been sentenced by the courts.

The commission previously settled with Ross's Super Meats Mt Eden in January 2003 for falsely labelling its products preservative-free.

- NZPA