A2 Milk Co is suing the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), alleging misleading and deceptive statements in advertising its consumer affairs programme, The Checkout.
The milk marketing company’s Australian subsidiary has lodged actions in the Federal Court in Sydney, using barrister Allan Myers QC, after the public broadcaster promoted a segment which called the company’s scientific claims “bogus”.
A2 Milk says this breached the Competition and Consumer Act.
A2 Milk markets its products as potentially being beneficial for people who suffer intolerance to the naturally occurring A1 protein in milk, including bloating and stomach pain.
A2 has captured some 9.3 per cent of the Australian fresh milk market by selling milk which only has A2 protein.
The Checkout, which is externally produced by production company Giant Dwarf, aired a segment on April 30 which called the company’s claims “bullshit” while a lactose-intolerant presenter sculled a bottle of the milk and then pretended to vomit off-screen.
“I was astonished that ABC could allow one of its externally produced programmes to be advertised in a misleading and deceptive manner,” A2 Milk CEO, Peter Nathan, said in a statement.
A2 Milk also claims the programme breached the ABC’s code of conduct.
An ABC spokesman rejected the claims.
“Yesterday afternoon the ABC received notification of legal action by A2 Milk Company, but previously responded to a letter from lawyers acting on their behalf,” he said in a statement.
“We strongly rejected the suggestion that the matters A2 has complained about involved misleading or deceptive conduct.”
A2 Milk is a New Zealand-based company, although most of its sales come from across the Tasman.
BusinessDesk
