Court rules Coles mislead consumers with claims bread products were ‘baked today’

A 2012 Coles bakery ad featuring Curtis Stone

Coles has been found guilty over misleading shoppers with claims that bread products were “baked today” or “freshly baked in-store” by the Federal Court, with the court ruling that the claims were false, misleading and deceptive.

Responding to proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the court found claims that the products were ‘baked today’ or ‘freshly baked in-store’ were inaccurate, with the bread products partially baked and frozen off site by a supplier, with Cuisine Royale baked overseas, before being transported and ‘finished’ at in-store bakeries.

The Court found that the “Baked Today, Sold Today”, “Freshly Baked” and “Baked Fresh” claims “amounted to a misleading representation that the par-baked bread products had been baked on the day of sale or baked in a fresh process using fresh not frozen product”.