ACCC acts on beer labelling

[gsouth82]

http://accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-acts-on-beer-labelling

I was following this story (and Matt Kirkegaards rants) on Australian Brews News.
Good on the ACCC! Will be welcome news for small craft brewers.

 

[Bribie G]

I've put in a comment on Matt's site, when it's modded.

 

[Mardoo]

Nice. A good signal that the ball is actually rolling in terms of government recognition of the difference of craft brew being important. This is the kind of thing that will lead to a legal definition of craft brewing, which will lead to more realistic taxation laws for craft brewers, which will lead to much more stability for craft brewing in Australia.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

It's a start. But the enforceable undertaking really only relates to the location and to an extent the scale. So CUB could realistically use Matilda bay and call it craft beer without disclosing who its parent is.

I like the bit "CUB has also undertaken, for the next three years, not to make false or misleading representations concerning the scale of the brewery in which a product is brewed and the place of origin of its products.". So any other false or misleading representation is still okay, or as long as the three years is up, they can re-offend. Love it!

And wow! A $20,000 fine. They'll just drop VB back to 4.8% for a day to pay for it and then some.

I'm in a cynical mood today.

 

[Phoney]

It's a start. But the enforceable undertaking really only relates to the location and to an extent the scale. So CUB could realistically use Matilda bay and call it craft beer without disclosing who its parent is.

Perhaps the craft brew industry should develop it's own standard seal of approval that would go on all craft beers, and faux craft beers that are actually any more than say 50% owned by a big multi-national would be prevented from using that seal on their labeling. Of course a marketing campaign would also need to go along with it to put it out there eg: "Support local, look for the seal & drink local"

I'm not a marketing guy, just throwing it out there.

 

[Bribie G]

Works for a while provided the participants don't get greedy. Good example is "Bangalow Free Range Pork" from Northern NSW. Lovely stuff but a splinter group decided to relaunch their farms' products as "Bangalow Sweet Pork" that wasn't actually guaranteed free range . Then another local group were making more money raising the piglets on pasture with their Mums then when they were old enough, transferred to sheds and their product named as "Free Range Raised"...

Beer ain't pork but I could see something similar happening.

God I'd kill for a Bangalow chop or six right now. Have to make do with a Wingham Grass Fed Angus Scotch Fillet.

First World problems.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Bribie's 100% right. The more that people try to use labels to 'posh' up their produce, the more others will attempt to exploit it.

Labels such as:

• Certified organic
• Macro
• Biodynamic
• Free Range
• Craft
• Pure, Natural
• Barn Laid
• Cage Free
• Humane, Ethical

and so on.

The problem is that people keep building these labels out and they keep getting ripped off. Is that shampoo organic? Of course! 5% organic fruit, the rest chemicals. That's keeping in line with the ethos of organic.

The problem is and has always been - people are too stupid or lazy to research or read (even the damn label) and will get suckered in by the marketing hype. And the nanny state continues to over-regulate things to adjust to the new lows of stupidity that people inevitably sink to.

 

[madpierre06]

Or else they change the definition of 'free range' (and other similar product definitions) so as to allow hard lobbying financial gifting interest groups to make squillions more from the definition change.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Funny thing about "Bangalow Sweet Pork".

Most of the pigs are slaughtered at Eversons Abboitar at Fredrickson ( just north of Kempsey )

I know this because I installed a system there and one day a week they did pigs for mainly Bangalow Sweet Pork. The pigs came from all over the state.

Its just a brand name.

 

[mje1980]

You could argue that toxic waste is made from "all natural ingredients"

 

[Rieewoldt]

You could argue that toxic waste is made from "all natural ingredients"

Gluten- free and low gi too

 

[schrodinger]

people are too stupid or lazy to research or read

That about sums up, well, everything that's wrong with the world.

 

[madpierre06]

One easy to read line.

"brewed by or under license for".......says it all for beers marketed and presented as something supposedly better than or different to big commercial beers.

 

[jaypes]

Getting off the plane in sunny Cooloongatta last year, I bought a bottle of water.

Looking at the label waiting for a cab it read "Organic Water"

Seems the ACCC is onto those as well - http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/organic-water-claims-misleading-says-watchdog-20130716-2q0wj.html

 

[TSMill]

So can I keep advertising my beer as sow stall free?

 

[mudd]

http://www.theage.com.au/national/cub-fined-20000-for-beer-deception-20140429-zr1ez.html

In the mainstream press tonight.

ACCC is a bit of a toothless tiger in my opinion. A $20k fine is a joke.

 

[mkj]

It's a start. But the enforceable undertaking really only relates to the location and to an extent the scale. So CUB could realistically use Matilda bay and call it craft beer without disclosing who its parent is.

But Matilda Bay is also a location, in Perth. About 10 kms from where the brewery was though...

 

[Liam_snorkel]

It doesn't say on the labels that it's brewed in Matilda Bay though. It's just called that. Great Northern "the beer from up here" is brewed at Yatala south of Brisbane, that gives me a giggle. Is coke's Mt Franklin water from Mt Franklin?

 

[geneabovill]

People are always gonna fall for marketing hype, and Big Brewer is always gonna cash in on that stupidity.

You can't police it. Best we can do is try to educate people so they can make informed choices.

I'd like to see the Chaser boys do a beer version of The Checkout.

 

[niftinev]

It doesn't say on the labels that it's brewed in Matilda Bay though. It's just called that. Great Northern "the beer from up here" is brewed at Yatala south of Brisbane, that gives me a giggle. Is coke's Mt Franklin water from Mt Franklin?

Nah I think you'll find it's from the Mt White area near the NSW Central Coast and they have a lot of the locals up in arms because the want to extend their bore deeper which will lower the water table