FoodLegal

A summary of regulatory updates for the month of February 2026.

Australia’s federal government has introduced a new law that imposes massive fines for ‘excessive pricing’ by Australia’s largest supermarket groups. The new law imposes radical restrictions on free market pricing. This article addresses several key aspects such as the controls and criteria applicable to price-increasing decision-making, and the likely broader impact.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently authorised a new recycling scheme for soft plastics. The Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia scheme is operated by major Australian food and grocery retailers and enables customers to return soft plastics at collection points for recycling. This article covers the impacts for Australian food and beverage manufacturers under the new scheme, how the scheme is likely to interact with APCO and the Australasian Recycling Logo, and lessons from previous attempts at soft plastics recycling.

Honey products, including premium manuka honey, have become growing targets for food substitution frauds and loss of product authenticity. While the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires certain conditions to be met when marketing and selling ‘honey’, honey industry groups have also developed their own more comprehensive specifications for honey products. This article explores the regulatory framework for honey and the separate honey industry standards and testing systems that assist detection and reduction of food fraud and honey substitutes.