Butcher fined over 'organic' labelling

An Auckland butcher will have to pay more than $4000 after a court found he had sold products falsely labelled as "certified organic".

In Auckland District Court yesterday Ron Ross and Ross's Super Meat Store pleaded guilty to four charges, including falsely advertising chicken as "certified organic chicken".

Although the chickens were sourced from certified organic farms, they were butchered at Ross's butchery in Mt Eden which had not been certified by either Bio-Gro or Agriquality New Zealand.

The store also advertised honey soy chicken nibbles as "organic" when the marinade was not, and sold turkeys as "fresh" when they had been supplied frozen and thawed at the butchery.

He was fined $3700 and ordered to pay costs of $390.

Commerce Commission director of fair trading Deborah Battell said the fine sent a clear message to others in the organic industry.

"Consumers expect both 'organic' and 'certified organic' products to be 100 per cent organic through the entire chain, from farmyard to shop shelf," she said.

"This includes any ingredients that are added to products.

"Consumers should also be able to expect that products advertised as 'fresh' are 100 per cent fresh.

"It is a complete abuse of trust, and potentially dangerous, to provide consumers with thawed frozen products, particularly meat products, and claim that they are fresh."

Ms Battell said consumers paid a premium for organic and fresh products and needed to be able to trust the integrity of the labels.

"Ross and his company were more than aware of their obligations under the Fair Trading Act ... by doing this, they have not only affected their own reputation but potentially undermined consumer trust in other organic businesses."

- NZPA