Bread from the artisan range gives the impression it is fresh, but is shipped to New Zealand frozen.
Bread from the artisan range gives the impression it is fresh, but is shipped to New Zealand frozen.
A curious Countdown shopper has discovered an artisan-style bread range sold in store is not as fresh as the packaging suggests — and is shipped from Australia and previously frozen.
The label on the $8 loaf states: “There’s nothing quite like the taste of fresh bread, warm out of the oven and lathered in butter.”
But the bread tucked into the distinctive paper wrap with a clear window is baked in Australia, frozen and then shipped to New Zealand.
The shopper noticed there was no country-of-origin labelling on what he thought was a fresh loaf of Pane Di Casa from the bakery department at his local Countdown and started digging.
He emailed the contact centre and was told the loaf from the artisan-style bread range was manufactured in Australia and frozen before being shipped to New Zealand “where a final bake is applied in our stores”.
The only reference to a country on the label is that the bread range, which includes sourdough, Italian-style ciabatta and Pane Di Casa, is packaged for Woolworths in Māngere, Auckland.
The man said he initially became suspicious because of the language used on the packaging.
The label for the stone-baked bread says the “final baking stage takes place in Countdown bakeries, to enhance the flavour and aroma of the bread”.
Wording on the packaging states the "final baking stage takes place in our Countdown bakeries", but there is no mention it is frozen and made in Australia.
“My belief is that Woolworths wants me to think that the loaves are baked in the in-store bakery. Why else would they display them prominently in front of the ovens?”
Words on the packaging such as “There’s nothing quite like the taste of fresh bread, warm out of the oven and lathered in butter” also gave the impression the product was fresh, the man said.
He said he didn’t want to “buy bread that has been baked in Australia and then shipped frozen to New Zealand to be ‘finished’ here”.
“It makes me wonder if Woolworths are employing fewer bakers here and how many other products they will now start to import with the change [from Countdown] to Woolworths.”
Despite no country-of-origin labelling on the physical packaging or anywhere online for the New Zealand range, it is a different story on the Australian site.
On the Australian Woolworths website, it is clear where the bread is made. The Made in Australia logo with a kangaroo is prominent, with additional information stating the bread is made using up to 97 per cent of Australian ingredients.
There is no country of origin stated on New Zealand packaging or online, but on the Australian Woolworths site it is clear where the bread is made.
The New Zealand website advises customers to check labels for ingredients and country-of-origin because details are “liable to change at short notice”.
The customer said it was concerning that even a staple like bread was baked offshore and imported frozen.
Abby Damen, of Consumer NZ, said clear and transparent country-of-origin labelling was important for all shoppers — particularly those who wanted to make informed purchasing decisions such as buying from local businesses, for example.
“In May 2023, new rules required fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and seafood display full country-of-origin labels so that consumers are not misled about the products they’re buying,” she said.
“Although the new rules don’t extend to baked goods, we think people deserve to know the country or ocean in which the food they’re buying was made, grown, raised, caught or harvested.”
Consumer NZ believed any food that was previously frozen should be clearly labelled.
