Consumers need to understand the labelling. The kangaroo chart is generally easy to find and understand as is ‘made in’ and ‘product of’. They all need to be read in conjunction with each other to get the full product picture. You can, possibly, say the labelling is misleading but as with all products from all manufacturers you should take the headline labelling with a pinch of salt.
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Bega, Sanitarium or whoever, this is a more general problem and can be seen on many items in the shops. I saw exactly the same information on labels of some honey jars and also noticed that the price for that honey was still close to the nornal 100% Oz honey. This confirms that the companies obviously want to hide the ‘bad’ information and highlight the ‘good’ information. CHOICE, keep up the good work for clear and precise labelling!
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I live in peanut country ie Kingaroy. We have been in drought for several years. Peanut production has been patchy. Bega bought the Peanut Company of Australia which provided the peanuts. To increase production they increased the amount paid farmers so more have entered the production. Bega want 100% Aussie peanuts.
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Seriously, make your own. Buy nuts and blitz them or go to the Source Bulk food and they will blitz the nuts you buy from them.
Peanut butter should just be peanuts, nothing else!!
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A very good suggestion and you are right, it should be just peanuts.
However, the point of my post was not to complain about the product nor even the company, I like both. The point is to complain about how essential information but information that is not flattering to the product, is deliberately presented in the most inconspicuous manner knowing full well that many, particularly the elderly, will not notice. To the values that I was brought up by, that’s unconscionable.
No, it’s the manufacturers’ responsibility to describe the product clearly, truthfully and with no attempt to deceive or misconstrue. That’s what consumer protection is all about.
In this case, the manufacturer is truthful but not clear and deliberately so. The Australianness of the product is highlighted in large lettering on the front. The mostly un-Australian content of the product is hidden in the smallest lettering at the bottom of the back label knowing full well that many will not read the back label and particularly the elderly will not be able to read it. Fans of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will relate to this.
