11 May 2011

Supermarkets fined for false labelling of fruit

1:57 pm on 11 May 2011

Australia's two largest supermarket chains have been caught falsely labelling overseas-grown fruit as Australian in western Sydney.

Woolworths at Newington failed to identify that its lemons were grown in the United States, while Coles at St Mary's did not identify its grapefruit was from Israel.

The ABC reports the two supermarkets have been fined a combined total of more than $A2000.

New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Katrine Hodgkinson says they won't get off so lightly if it happens again.

She said both companies should know better.

''Coles and Woolworths are both very large retail operations right across the country,'' she said.

''Enormous number of patrons that use those supermarkets every single day and the public has got to have confidence that what is being advertised through both of those large chains, is actually the truth.''