The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is urging businesses to respect the traditional recipe of Anzac biscuits or pay the consequences.
Businesses could be hit with fines of up to $51,000, with individual sellers facing penalties of $10,200 under the Crimes Act 1914, for changing the recipe and selling the product as an Anzac biscuit.
Veterans’ Affairs says the biscuits must not be referred to as cookies or any other term and cannot include ingredients that alter the traditional biscuit such as egg, chocolate chips or almonds.
While the penalties are significant, a Veterans’ Affairs spokesperson told Good Food fines have not been issued in “recent times.”
“When a potential misuse of the term is identified, DVA works with the business or organisation to attempt to find alternative wording which does not breach the regulations. In most cases organisations are willing to work with DVA to protect the integrity and significance of the term.”
Businesses must obtain a permit from DVA to sell products that include the word Anzac.
Anzac biscuits were sent to soldiers during World War I and were dubbed as a nutritional foodstuff able to last for more than two months without refrigeration.
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