Breaching advertising codes

This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2009/10 Ad Standards upheld complaints about four ads by this company on the grounds that they breached advertising codes. The ads were subsequently discontinued or modified.

Source: Ad Standards (2010)

2012 CHOICE Shonky Award

Named and shamed in the 2012 CHOICE Shonky Awards. Nature's Way Kids Smart Natural Medicine range of homeopathic remedies for various ailments is effectively water with blackcurrant flavour. The harm comes from it doing nothing for your children in the expensive and mistaken belief you're doing something.

Source: Choice (2012)

2017 CHOICE Shonky Award

Named and shamed in the 2017 CHOICE Shonky Awards for claiming its Vitamin Gummies are good for kids teeth. CHOICE points out that even though kids rarely need vitamin supplementation, these products are marketed to kids and are full of sugar.

Source: Choice (2017)

Breaching advertising codes

On 26 separate occasions between 2010 and 2014 the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Complaints Resolution Panel upheld complaints about ads by this company on the grounds that they breached advertising codes, more than any other company. The ads were subsequently withdrawn.

Source: TGA Complaints Register (2014)

2018 CHOICE Shonky Award

Named and shamed in the 2018 CHOICE Shonky Awards for its Bioglan homeopathic melatonin. While melatonin (currently a prescription-only medicine in Australia) is known to promote sleep and is used to help people suffering jet lag or sleep disorders, there's no reliable evidence that homeopathic melatonin (or homeopathic products in general) has any effect other than as a placebo. Despite this, the company makes the claim that Bioglan Melatonin helps "relieve mild temporary insomnia and symptoms of mild nervous tension".

Source: Choice (2018)

Fined $164,520 for misleading advertising

In 2020 the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued 13 infringement notices totalling $164,520 to this company for alleged breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act) in relation to the advertising of two listed complementary medicines. The infringement notices relate to the alleged omission of milk products from the ingredient warning. The TGA is aware of three allergic reactions occurring in children with a known milk allergy who consumed Nature's Way Kids Smart Vita Gummies Omega 3 DHA Fish Oil. Two were severe anaphylactic reactions that required medical intervention.

Source: TGA (2020)

Krill supplements

In 2015 Sea Shepherd Australia targeted this company over its production of krill-based omega-3 health supplements. Krill are a vital part of the Antarctic food chain and giant factory-ships are sucking up huge amounts of krill for the farmed fish and supplements industries. Vast schools of krill not only function as food for whales, penguins, seals and seabirds, but they are also huge carbon sinks that help mitigate global warming. Pharmacare is one of the largest krill supplement manufacturers in Australia.

Source: Sea Shepherd (2015)

APCO member

Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice). This company received a packaging performance level of 2 (Good Progress) in its 2024 APCO Annual Report.

Source: APCO (2024)

Organic products

Company retails, manufactures or distributes products that are certified organic under the Australian Certified Organic label.

Source: ACO (2022)

Monkey-free coconuts

Monkeys in Thailand are kept chained, trained using abusive methods, and forced to climb trees to pick coconuts used for coconut milk, oil, and other products. This company has policies of sourcing from farms where no monkey labour is used.

Source: PETA Asia (2020)