The Health Ministry has now requested the assistance of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate how ALDI brand products made specifically for Australian ALDI stores are being exported to Fiji.

Health Minister Doctor Neil Sharma said the ministry wants an investigation because the authorized distributers of the ALDI products in Australia have openly denied supplying to any country outside Australia.

Doctor Sharma said they have also sought the assistance of the Australian Trade Commissioner to look into this matter.

The health minister said ALDI is alleging that its exclusive products are being sold without its consent by MH Supermarkets in Fiji.

ALDI said it believes up to 30 containers of its products intended for the Australian market have ended up in Fiji without their authorization.

In a Health Ministry statement, it said most of these products appear to be either damaged or past their expiry date.

Doctor Sharma also said they have lodged a formal complaint against the MH chain for engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.

He said by charging shelve space fees, MH excludes some small manufacturers who are unable to meet the supermarket’s demand.

He said in the ministry's view, this would dilute the government's initiative to promote the use of local or Fiji made products.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health was notified last week about the incident where ALDI brand products which were either damaged or expired ended up on supermarket shelves in Fiji.

Ministry spokesperson Iliesa Tora said they are calling for a full investigation.

Meanwhile, the chief operating officer of the Carpenters Group of Companies Freddy Keshwan had earlier said that they will not make any comments on the issue.

However, he had stressed that MH Supermarkets have strict policies regarding expired and damaged goods and will not willfully allow the sale of any such goods in any of its retail outlets under any circumstances.