A whistleblower working on the inside and a six month investigation by the New South Wales Food Authority lifted the lid on the Primo meat con.
The company pleaded guilty to 63 charges - 45 relating to deceptive and misleading conduct - and was fined a record $237,000 plus $200,000 in legal fees.
New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Stephen Whan says the heavy fine was handed down as a warning to companies to do the right thing.
More stories from Today Tonight"They found that pork from other countries, including from Holland and Canada, was being used in the production of meats which were being packaged in packaging saying 100 per cent Australian meat," Mr Whan said.
"This is a heavy fine - its a very strong warning to other people to do the right thing."
"It is reasonable for them [consumers] to expect that when they buy something that says it is made in Australia, that it is made in Australia."
It's not the first time meat producers have been caught out selling lies. Today Tonight has caught out manufacturers replacing the leg bone in a foreign leg of ham with a bone from Australian livestock. This allowed them to label the product, "Australian".
Then there's the great ham scam. DNA tests have confirmed cheaper alternatives such as mutton and beef are often mixed in.
Australian Meat and Livestock spokesperson David Thomason freely admits it.
"Good quality ham can come from a number of different animals, it doesn't have to come from pork," he said.
Leading Poultry supplier Ingham's were fined $68,000 for selling underweight turkeys.
So, how can we really be sure we are getting what we pay for?
Scientists from Australia's leading health investigative body, The George Institute, turned their microscopes on processed meats, including Primo.
"The sorts of meats we looked at were everyday things bacon, sausages, canned meats, processed meats, hams, those sorts of things," said Professor Bruce Neal, from The George Institute.
After testing 552 processed meat products, the results were alarming.
Ninety per cent of meats tested revealed unacceptable levels of a hidden killer - salt.
"The saltiest bacons had three times as much salt as the least salty - you just don't need that much salt in those salty bacons," Professor Neal said.
Dietician Emma Stirling claims we're all eating five to ten times more salt than is recommended for a healthy diet.
"All processed meats are far too high in salt levels," she said.
"We know that salt is very much linked to high blood pressure, or hyper tension, and we know that hyper tension leads to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease."
Kate Carnell is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, a body that represents industries.
"Salt is not just a flavour, it is also a preservative and particularly in areas such as processed meat. It also helps bind sausages together, it creates texture in bread and as well as that it helps retain water, so a sausage with no salt can be really dry. Now no one is going to eat those sorts of products or they will take it home and add salt," Kate said.
The George Institute is now pushing for across the board national targets when it comes to salt. Similar to those already existing here in bread and cereal and 80 food categories in the U.K. and U.S.
"You need to cut down on your processed foods with salt and be an avid label reader," Emma said.
But as the situation with Primo highlights, how can you be sure that the label matches the possible mystery contained inside?Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
