By Rebecca Styles
Research Lead | Hautū Rangahau
“A protein hit from nuts and seeds”, the pack of Tasti Refuel Double Choc bars spouts. But when a shopper took a closer look at the ingredients list, there weren’t any.
Under the Fair Trading Act (FTA) businesses can’t make misleading statements about a product. If a muesli bar’s packaging claims it contains nuts and seeds, then it should.
There are also labelling rules for food that businesses must follow. Any promotion of ingredients on the pack must be reflected in the ingredients list.
The shopper contacted Tasti to understand what was actually in the muesli bars.
Tasti said the ingredients list was correct, but the blurb on the pack wasn’t. It apologised and said its team was fixing the problem.
Tasti also told the shopper it wouldn’t recall the product because it wasn’t a health hazard. Instead, it would gradually phase out the packaging.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), Aotearoa’s food safety watchdog, said it doesn’t appear to be a food safety issue.
However, it will be contacting the business to make sure its meeting the requirements under the Food Act and Food Standards Code.
We think Tasti continuing to use the packaging is misleading to consumers and breaches the FTA.
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