Mad Butcher cries foul over chicken ads

HOLD ON to your tail feathers the squabble over who's selling the cheapest chook has begun with major supermarket chain Progressive and iconic meat seller The Mad Butcher going head to head for the title.

Fresh battle lines were drawn last week when The Mad Butcher took out a full page ad highlighting how much cheaper its everyday chicken prices were compared to online rates at Foodtown and Woolworths. On Thursday, the supermarkets hit back, launching their own comparative advertisement and listing special prices up to 28.6% cheaper at Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown than at The Mad Butcher.

And now the fight has heated up with Mad Butcher CEO Michael Morton claiming it found chicken on supermarket shelves selling for different prices and in different packaging types from those advertised. He says unless Progressive offers a retraction it will lay a complaint with the Commerce Commission which enforces the Fair Trading Act. But Progressive is standing by its advertisement, saying it complies with all relevant codes and standards.

While naming a competitor in an advertisement is relatively uncommon, Advertising Standards Authority executive director Hilary Souter says it doesn't breach any standards as long as it is not degrading to the competitor.

Morton says his company is a "little Kiwi battler" and describes Progressive as a "multi-national Australian-owned company". "The standards authority told us we had to name the competition and, since we have named them, they've got all defensive about it. At the end of the day, it's truthful. We are on average 40% cheaper than them and they don't like it. They don't like us telling the public that."

Progressive say it is not correct for The Mad Butcher to compare online pricing with in-store specials.

"In addition they continue to claim that their policy is to provide New Zealand's lowest chicken prices. However, given our current pricing, this advertising is also inaccurate and misleading."

It says it is "committed to providing New Zealand consumers with the best value, quality and widest range of products. We will continue to do so".