Juice line axed after Berri squeezed on labelling

Berri has pulled its Berri Truly product range after independent senator Nick Xenophon criticised it for “fundamentally mislead[ing] consumers” about its country of origin.

While the Truly range is produced in Mexico, Xenophon and fellow politician Tim Whetstone said that using the Berri brand name - which is the name of a South Australian citrus growing town - would lead consumers to believe the juice is Australian, when it is in fact produced in Mexico.

“This packaging is deceiving consumers and is misrepresenting Australian growers,” Whetstone said. “The whole product comes from Mexico with not one molecule of Australian content.”

The politicians also questioned whether Mexican oranges growers adhere to the same strict rules regarding the use of the fungicide carbendazim, which is banned in Australia.

Berri has vigorously defended its labelling on the Truly product, saying it clearly shows where the product is made.

“Food regulations in Mexico are very robust, in order to meet US import standards,” a statement from Berri said. “With respect to citrus, Mexican chemical residue standards are in fact lower than in Australia.”

The Truly range is produced in Mexico because “the product required technology not available in Australia”, Berri said. The company claimed it had plans to invest in the technology and source local fruit for the product if it took off in Australia - which it failed to do.

“Unfortunately, Berri Truly has not met our performance benchmarks and Lion has advised customers and growers that we have deleted the product,” the Berri statement said. “However, we will continue to innovate in the juice category to deliver more choice for consumers and benefits for other stakeholders.”