A dairy company in New Zealand was exposed for fabricating claims that its goods were “100 percent pure New Zealand” even though they included butter that was imported from India.
The dairy company Milkio Foods Limited was penalized US$261,452 on Monday for fabricating the origin of its butter products, a charge that was brought to court by the New Zealand Commerce Commission.
The Commerce Commission claimed in a statement that the Hamilton, New Zealand-based company had deceived consumers about the origin of its ghee products by making “claims like ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ despite importing the core ingredient from India.”
The export of high-quality dairy products is a source of pride for New Zealand’s agriculture-based economy, since its wealthy meadows produce milk and butter that is in high demand elsewhere.
A spokeswoman for the Commerce Commission, Vanessa Horne, claimed that “Milkio took advantage of this reputation to promote their own products”.
In addition, the business provided inaccurate and deceptive information in order to obtain permission to use the FernMark emblem, a reliable indicator of New Zealand-made goods.
Milkio acknowledged using the FernMark logo and license number without the required authorization and entered a guilty plea to 15 counts of making false claims under the Fair Trading Act of New Zealand.
“This conviction should serve as a warning to others who may be looking to falsely claim the New Zealand brand,” Horne said.
