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Aldi's 'grass-fed' beefiness claim misleads consumers, say other producers

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Aldi shoppers are charged 30 per cent more than for prize-winning, "grass-fed" beef cuts. But Fairfax Media has found the claim is potentially misleading and the medals should never have been awarded.

The fast-growing supermarket chain has admitted its Highland Park-branded grass-fed beef products are from cattle given supplementary feed with grain in bad weather conditions.

Certified grassfed cattle must never be fed grain or grain by-products, according to the Pasturefed Cattle Balls System. Credit:Cattle Council of Australia

Under local and international best practise standards, grass-fed cattle must never consume grain or grain by-products. Further, they can just graze on cereal crops at the pre-grain stage.

While Aldi's products are not grass-fed-certified under the Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System, it has entered representative cuts into food shows, including the prestigious Sydney Royal, that clearly stipulate cattle described every bit grass-fed must never swallow grain.

Fifth-generation grass-fed cattle farmer Ian McCamley.

Grass-fed cattle farmer Ian McCamley, from Central Queensland, said Aldi'southward merits had the potential to mislead customers and hurt genuine grass-fed producers. He is ane of 290 PCAS-certified producers in Australia.

"If it makes the grass-fed merits, the cattle should never be fed grain. If they have been, I'chiliad dead against that. It's not fair on the consumer," he said.

"Products making grass fed claims need to be genuine and dorsum with a system of integrity. If not then it merely tarnishes the grass-fed claim."

Mr McCamley said Aldi'south questionable grass-fed product methods meant it could offer cuts at a lower price, disadvantaging other producers and retailers.

Aldi'south Highland Park grass-fed beefiness packaging is marketed with show medals.

Aldi'south porterhouse grass-fed is $25.99 a kilogram, 30 per cent more its grain-fed equivalent. Coles' porterhouse grass-fed is $34 a kilogram.

Grass-fed beef is fast condign popular for being college welfare, compared to grain-fed or feedlot-fed, and for containing less fat and more omega fatty acids that tin reduce the risk of heart disease.

Aldi has adorned the packaging of its Highland Park grass-fed porterhouse, scotch fillet and eye fillet with testify medal logos from the Sydney Regal and Royal Queensland Food and Wine Testify.

The logos can significantly heave sales and revenue.

Tim Slack-Smith, Sydney Imperial's chief steward for the branded beef competition, confirmed a grass-fed producer could submit a cut only if the cattle had been fed 100 per cent on grass.

"Should an entry be found to have grain-fed in a grass class, then they would be penalised ... if it was to go through all the manner and receive an accolade and then found to not be schedule, then the exhibitor would be stripped of its award," he said.

The Royal Queensland prove's guidelines country the entry must adhere to PCAS principles. Aldi signed a statutory declaration stating it was obeying the guidelines.

Gary Noller, beef cattle committee chairman of the Purple National Association, which runs the Royal Queensland evidence, said if an exhibitor intentionally made a false argument, there could be legal ramifications and consequences under the RNA by-laws.

"If a written complaint is made, so it will be dealt with in accordance with the RNA by-laws," he said.

Aldi has told customers multiple times on Facebook that grass-fed cattle could be given grain to ensure their welfare when weather conditions are bad. It confirmed this to Fairfax Media.

"Aldi is fully compliant with all electric current legal requirements for food labelling," a spokesman said.

"'Grass-fed' does not imply that animals are 100 per cent grass-fed with no grains at all in the nutrition. Equally nosotros accept publicly shared, we allow grain supplements when weather necessitates, for the animate being's welfare."

Mr McCamley, a 5th generation farmer, said PCAS was developed because producers felt current legal requirements for beef labelling were too lax.

"Customers are paying a premium for grass-fed. We need to give them that guarantee. That'south why they should look out for products with the PCAS logo, meaning its underpinned by a robust system."

Woolworths said information technology sold both PCAS-certified and not-certified grass-fed beefiness. Information technology would not expand on whether its non-certified grass-fed cuts were from cattle that may have been fed grain.

Coles runs its ain grass-fed certification organization, simply it is endorsed past PCAS. Information technology said grass-fed was condign "very popular" with customers.

"In the event producers do supplement grass-fed animals with grain, Coles volition nonetheless buy their cattle yet we exercise not sell information technology as grass-fed," a spokesman said. " No Coles grass-fed beef has ever been fed on grain."

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Consumer advocacy grouping Pick said there is a plethora of disruptive claims on beef packaging, such as pasture-fed, bio-dynamic, free-range, and organic.

"These claims tend to carry a premium price tag, so you desire to make certain they're worth the extra money," said Choice'southward Tom Godfrey.

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Source: https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/aldis-grassfed-beef-claim-misleads-consumers-say-other-producers-20150819-gj2whl.html

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