Is Reading Believing? Ask The ACCC

Should you always believe the labelling on packaging? In a recent case, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has decided that Reckitt Benckiser the producer of Nurofen has gone too far in their marketing claims, and misled consumers.

It was found that Nurofen Back Pain, Nurofen Tension Headache, Nurofen Period Pain and Nurofen Migraine all labelled at different prices, all labelled to treat a specific type of pain, were all in reality the same.

The head of regulatory and medical affairs at Reckitt Benckiser, Aomesh Bhatt, has claimed that the company did not intend to mislead consumers; rather the company was helping consumers when navigating the grocery isle, when there are no health professionals to assist.

The ACCC, however, came to the conclusion that it went further than that, and that consumers have been misled into purchasing Nurofen with the belief that each individual product will specifically target their particular type of pain.

In an industry where consumers cannot test the accuracy of such claims, the ACCC, in their role as a watchdog to safeguard truth within advertising, look very closely at this type of labelling to ensure consumers purchasing decisions are guided by information that is accurate.

As a result, the ACCC has ordered Reckitt to publish articles in newspapers and on websites, pay costs and implement a consumer protection programme to rectify these assertions.

So, next time you’re in the shopping aisle, be sure to question what you read!