In 2009 Mercy Ministries admitted it had engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct by wrongly claiming their residential care programs were free and included support from psychologists, dietitians, general practitioners and counsellors. The admission was part of an ACCC ruling, after an 18-month investigation into complaints from former residents who were forced to undergo exorcisms and use prayer to treat serious health problems such as bipolar disorder and anorexia. The ACCC ordered the former directors (including Gloria Jean's co-founder Peter Irvine) to pay $1050 to each of the 110 young women who took part in their programs from January 2005 to June 2008. Mercy Ministries was sponsored by Gloria Jean's and advertised in Gloria Jean's cafes around Australia. This sponsorship was withdrawn in 2009.

This company sells Rainforest Alliance certified coffee. However this only represents a fraction of this company's total coffee sales. Rainforest Alliance certification has been dubbed 'Fairtrade light' by critics, as it offers producers no minimum price for their crop, and guarantees a minimum of just 30% of the product is certified.

This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying that this business is sourcing cage-free whole eggs or eggs used as an ingredient. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.

The "Boycott Gloria Jeans" website was started in June 2012 in response to relevations that Gloria Jeans donated $30,000 to the Australian Christian Lobby in the lead up to the 2010 federal election, when the ACL was lobbying the government to oppose same sex marriage.

In July 2012 the Retail Food Group was forced to issue a prompt apology after its managing director, Deane Priest - who has since resigned - wrote to Brumby's franchisees suggesting they lift their prices and 'let the carbon tax take the blame'. Brumby's escaped a hefty fine when the ACCC accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Retail Food Group that it would not engage in similar conduct in the future.

A third law firm is preparing to launch a class action against this company for its failure to disclose troubles within its franchise network. Retail Food Group's market value more than halved in December 2017 when media reports of mistreatment of franchisees were first published.

In 2024 this company entered into a binding deed to settle the class action filed by some of its former franchisees. The settlement involves a dismissal of the proceeding by the applicant without RFG making any admission or payment. However, as part of the agreement, RFG will release applicable members of the class action from historical debts alleged in the proceeding.

According to data released by the Australian Tax Office in Jan 2021, this company was one of many local and foreign-based companies that paid no tax in Australia in 2018-19. Please note however that companies pay income tax on profits, not revenue (total income). While some companies use tax havens and loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of tax in Australia, other companies that paid no tax have perfectly legitimate reasons.