New Zealand Commerce Commission “Made in New Zealand” bee pollen was Chinese (Media Release)

Topline International Ltd, and its director and principal shareholder Jeffrey Cook have been fined a total of $526,000 for breaching various provisions of the Fair Trading Act. The conduct primarily involved passing off Chinese bee pollen as New Zealand-made. During sentencing, Judge Dawson described the claims as ‘blatant fabrications and lies’ and that the defendants needed to be ‘held accountable for their blatantly misleading and knowingly untruthful promotion of their product’. For a period of over four years Topline made various untrue representations regarding the country of origin of the pollen, which was important to consumers when purchasing the product, as well as potential damage to New Zealand suppliers. The combined $526,000 includes discounts for Topline and Cook’s cooperation and guilty pleas.