May 2012

Elderly at risk: Food deficiencies of Australia's aged population FREE Show More Info
On April 26 2012, results of a study conducted by the Dietitians Association of Australia showed that thousands of elderly Australians are suffering from or at a risk of developing malnutrition. This study comes soon after the Government announced so-called major reforms of Australia’s aged care system that ignored this problem. This article explains more.

Corporate Social Responsibility Policies and Scope for ‘Benefit Corporations’? Show More Info
Recently, there has been an increasing trend of corporations issuing details of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies. Food company policies are being increasingly influenced by non-economic motivations that are closely aligned with social, environmental and moral values of customers and other stakeholders apart from shareholders. This article examines the new types of ‘social’ policies that are being adopted by food companies in the manufacture and marketing of food in line with CSR principles. Moreover, this article will also discuss the recent emergence of socially-oriented ‘Benefit Corporations’ in the US, and their implications for Australia.

Google case heralds a new wave of compliance obligations for companies with an online presence Show More Info
A recent Federal Court decision has found the search engine Google guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to website addresses of separate companies paying for sponsored links. In addition to limiting the scope of the publisher’s defence, this decision ought to serve as a warning to food companies who use the internet or social media in the manner in which they market their wares.

Has the meaning of "antioxidant" become inherently misleading? Show More Info
This article explores the various different legal meanings of the term “antioxidant” and considers whether complying with mandatory labelling obligations may expose companies to unexpected legal risk.

Parallel importers hit by new FSANZ interpretation Show More Info
On 24 April 2012, Food Standards Australia New Zealand issued an Interpretive Guidance interpretation of the Food Standards Code that could have a major adverse impact for the business of some parallel importers. FoodLegal Bulletin in its August 2011 issue previously explained why the practices of some parallel importers could undermine food safety. The latest Interpretive Guidance concurs with our view. However, aspects of the FSANZ opinion could be of concern for many importing businesses, as this article explains.