Milkio Foods Limited

In January 2024 the Commission commenced a prosecution against Milkio Foods Ltd (Milkio). Milkio pleaded guilty to eleven charges under s 13(j) and four charges under s 13(f) of the Fair Trading Act 1986 (FTA). The charges under s 13(j) arose from Milkio making false and/or misleading representations as to the place of origin of the dairy ingredients used in some of its ghee products. The charges under s 13(f) arise from Milkio’s use of the FernMark fern logo and licence number (FernMark Logo) in circumstances where FernMark had not licensed the use of the logo on the products in question (Buffalo ghee), or had done so on the basis of untrue information being supplied by Milkio (cow ghee). On 22 August 2024, Milkio was sentenced at the Hamilton District Court to a total fine of $420,000.