Australia: Competition and Consumer Commission filed lawsuit against HelloFresh over alleged misleading representations pertaining to subscription services

On 16 December 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission filed a lawsuit against HelloFresh, alleging that between January 2023 and March 2025 the company made misleading and deceptive representations about its meal kit subscription service. The representations included claims that subscriptions could be easily cancelled online at any time or before a cut-off without charge and that consumers would not be charged until meals were selected. However, it was determined that the first delivery could not be cancelled through account settings, and consumers were charged regardless of meal selection. The lawsuit was filed against HelloFresh’s website and application-based subscription model, affecting 78,266 Australian consumers who cancelled before the cut-off, of whom 62,061 were charged. It alleges contraventions of sections 18(1) and 29(1)(g) of the Australian Consumer Law, which prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct in trade or commerce, and false or misleading representations. The lawsuit seeks penalties, non-punitive orders and costs.