January 25, 2012

After disseminating advertising which falsely claimed its chickens were "free to roam", Turi Foods has been hit with a US$100,000 penalty.

Turi Foods, which trades under the name La Ionica Poultry, struck a deal with The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last December agreeing that it breached the Trade Practices Act and consumer laws via a series of retail and promotional posters and advertisements on its trucks between 1998 and 2011.

The judgement, which was handed down yesterday by Federal Court judge Richard Tracey, stated that instead of roaming freely, the chickens had severe restrictions placed on their capacity to roam. The judge also questioned whether such capacity existed.

La Ionica has submitted to a range of sanctions including a US$100,000 penalty and a three year ban on claiming its barn-raised chickens are "free-roaming". The poultry brand has also been ordered to remove the ad from shops, publish an ad admitting liability in a Melbourne newspaper and introduce legal compliance training for staff.

Animal rights group, Voiceless, has criticised the deal for being too short and the fine insignificant in relation to the volume of business the company does. Dana Campbell, chief executive of the group, told the press that the chicken and meat industry continued to make misleading claims to appear animal friendly.

The ACCC took action against the suppliers of Steggles and La Ionica chicken meat brands and the Australian Chicken Meat Federation for deceptive conduct relating to the promotion and supply of chicken products last September.

The ACCC's lawsuit against the remaining respondents will be heard in March.