High-end Australian beef brands have long battled counterfeiting both on home soil and overseas and it seems the thing working best to stamp it out is building relationships with the right people.
Owners of premium brands were quizzed on the topic of substitution at a seminar on consumer demands at Beef Australia in Rockhampton, hosted by Meat & Livestock Australia.
They conceded that just like fine wines and top-shelf handbags, beef would never rid itself of the 'rats and mice' willing to rip off a brand.
But their run was usually short-lived, the beef brand owners said.
And any moves to stem the flow had to be done quietly and behind-the-scenes. The risk of calling it out in public, of course, is that consumers may lose trust across the board that they are getting the genuine article.
Andrew McDonald, director of sales, marketing and corporate affairs with NH Foods, which has a swag of award-winning beef brands to its name including the famous Angus Reserve, seemed to have a rather philosophical approach to substitution in China.
Here, con artists had made exact replications of NH Foods boxes.
"You can look at it like knock-offs of Louis Vuitton handbags. They aspire to offering our brand but can't afford it," he said.
"And the fact they know our brand in a country of a billion people - great.
"I do have a different view, however, on it happening in Australia - that very much annoys me.
"I'll go into a restaurant in Sydney and seen my brand on the menu and know we don't supply them."
His approach here: "I leave my business card and say I suggest you give me a call so we don't take you to court."
Sixth generation meat business operator Peter Greenham, whose company is behind Cape Grim, said it was unlikely beef brand counterfeiting could ever be fully stopped but "we aim to find the people who do the right thing and work with them."
"Our overseas customers want certification and the whole supply chain third party audited - these are the people we know do the right thing so we look to grow relationships with them," he said.
"The rats and mice do get found out in the end. Someone has a not-great experience and starts asking questions and then they don't go back.
"At end of day, we should stick to our guns, make sure our supply chains are solid and find the customers willing to pay a premium for what you have."
Troy Setter, from Consolidated Pastoral Company which sells both cattle and beef to Asian markets, said he'd certainly seen cases of Australian meat taken out of its boxes and sold and then product from other countries put in those boxes.
He said the scam never lasted long.
"They don't have the eating quality and the shelf life and so are found out. The restaurant that buys it has a bad experience and works out quickly its substitution," he said.
"The other thing is Aussie beef is expensive globally. That means there are expectations that come with it and quite a bit of process around it."
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
