Issue Date:  -  Thursday, 1 April 2004

D’Orsogna’s Short Weight Meets Prosecution

Company and Director Fined For Misleading Consumers

Meat and small goods giant D’Orsogna has been fined more than $18,000 plus costs of $1,484 and its Managing Director Bradley Thomas Thomason fined $2,600, for offences under the Fair Trading and Weights and Measures Acts.

Following a complaint from a consumer that she had received underweight pre-packaged meat, an investigation by Consumer Protection officers revealed that 22 out of 126 D’Orsogna products tested were underweight by more than 5%.

D’Orsogna asserted that this had occurred because the company’s slicing machine was faulty.

"Operations like D’Orsogna have a responsibility to the public to ensure that their equipment is always kept in good order if it is used to produce goods which are to be sold by weight", Consumer Protection Commissioner Patrick Walker said.

"Consumers must be able to trust what they read on food labels and this was not the case here.

"The Department had previously communicated some concerns to the company about underweight articles that had been detected, which apparently were not heeded.

"The fines handed down show that the Courts also take weights and measures issues very seriously", Mr Walker said.

Consumer Protection prosecuted D’Orsogna under the Fair Trading Act in addition to the Weights and Measures Act to exemplify the seriousness of making false representations to members of the public.