Bosisto’s Pays Fine for
Mislabeling of Tea Tree Oil Product
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC),
an independent Commonwealth statutory
authority financed by the Treasury, whose role is to enforce a range of
legislations and to promote competition and fair trading in Australia, has
issued an infringement notice to Felton Grimwade &
Bosisto’s Pty Ltd. (Bosisto’s), a company that manufactures and markets over-the-counter
(OTC) pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, household products, personal
care products, and medical devices. The infringement notice was based on tests
commissioned by the ACCC, which showed that Bosisto’s tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae) oil product was
adulterated, despite the label claiming it to be
100% pure tea tree oil. No details of the identity of the adulterant were
provided in the ACCC statement.1
While Bosisto’s paid the fine of AUS $10,800 (ca. US $8,200),
the company did not admit to a violation of the Australian Consumer Law, the
national law for fair trading and consumer protection.
Comment: Adulteration of tea
tree oil has been a concern for a number of years, in particular for Australian
growers and manufacturers. A paper published in
2015,
co-authored by the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association (ATTIA), describes
a gas chromatographic (GC) method to authenticate the oil, and provides some
data on the extent of adulteration in the marketplace.2 However,
this is the first time that the regulators got involved and that a fine was
issued by the ACCC for adulteration of tea tree oil.
References
1.
Bosisto’s Pay
$10,800 Penalty for Allegedly False or Misleading Tea Tree Oil Claims [press release
number MR 164/16]. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC); September 8, 2016. Available at: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/bosistos-pay-10800-penalty-for-allegedly-false-or-misleading-tea-tree-oil-claims. Accessed December 12, 2016.
2.
Wong YF, Davies NW,
Chin S-T, Larkman T, Marriott PJ. Enantiomeric
distribution of selected terpenes for authenticity assessment of Australian Melaleuca alternifolia oil. Ind Crops Prod. 2015;67:475-483.
