Major updates and key developments
Australia’s food and beverage sector continues to operate in a highly dynamic environment. Shifts in consumer expectations, evolving sustainability standards, global supply chain pressures and closer regulatory scrutiny are reshaping the way businesses position their brands, manage risk and plan for growth. Against this backdrop, legal and regulatory developments are playing an ever-greater role in strategic decision-making.
In this year’s bulletin, we explore:
- recent developments on soft plastics recycling and biosecurity
- trade mark examination practices and trends that will impact food and beverage brands
- how increased regulator activity against direct marketing and spam could affect the sector
- the ACCC’s recent activities on greenwashing
- the evolving ESG risk and disputes landscape.
Key takeaways
A new national soft plastics recycling scheme is on the horizon, following interim authorisation from the ACCC.
Protecting distinctive visual cues is increasingly important for trade mark owners, given the rise of dupe and lookalike products.
Food and beverage businesses should review their use of push notifications, links and tailored marketing practices to ensure compliance.
The ACCC remains open to authorising sustainability collaborations where businesses can demonstrate public benefits.
Alongside articulating climate-related risk and opportunities, businesses are under growing pressure to manage and disclose nature-related risks, and to have an eye to human rights impacts in their operations and supply chains.