Lactalis has been fined in Australia for what the country’s anti-trust body says were for “misleading” claims on fresh milk.
The local division of the France-headquartered dairy giant has paid A$59,400 (US$41,194) in relation to three “infringement” notices issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
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Lactalis was accused of “allegedly making false or misleading representations” in the labelling of two of its milk products sold in Australia, the ACCC said in a statement.
Two-litre containers of Golden North Country Fresh and Ferguson Valley WA Dairy Fresh were labelled as fresh milk when they each “contained substantial amounts of powdered reconstituted ingredients”, the regulator claims.
It explained: “Lactalis’ products were identified in an ACCC investigation of the milk processing industry, which included obtaining information and reviewing the products of several major dairy processors and retailers.
“The ACCC’s investigation found that processors and retailers largely label their fresh milk products accurately.
“However, the ACCC’s investigation identified that Lactalis added substantial amounts of reconstituted skim milk and lactose to its Golden North Country Fresh 2L milk. It also identified that Lactalis has added substantial amounts of reconstituted lactose to its Ferguson Valley WA Dairy Fresh 2L milk.”
Just Food has asked Lactalis’ headquarters in France for comment. In Australia, the company produces dairy brands such as Pauls, Harvey Fresh, Oak, Vaalia and Ice Break.
The ACCC added that the dairy major removed the word “fresh” from the products concerned after notification from the authority.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said in the statement: “Consumers should be able to trust product labels as accurate descriptions of the products they are buying, particularly for everyday groceries such as milk.
“We were very concerned that prominent ‘fresh’ claims on these products may have been misleading as consumers would not expect fresh milk to contain substantial amounts of powdered, reconstituted ingredients.”
Keogh said food processors in Australia are “on notice about the importance of truthfulness and accuracy with their packaging and labelling”. They “risk serious consequences” for misleading claims, he added.
It is not the first time Lactalis has been penalised in Australia. The ACCC fined the company A$950,000 in 2022 for breaching the country’s dairy code of conduct in the 2020-21 milk season relating to supply agreements.
Lactalis also incurred a fine in Italy in 2024 for breaches of that country’s dairy code of conduct. It was fined for “unfair” trading practices following a complaint lodged by the local farmers’ association Coldiretti.
