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An update on ‘negative claims’ in the EU and in EU Member States

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Abstract

Legal issues surrounding the labelling of foodstuffs are plentiful. An important example is the use of ‘negative claims’, indicating that certain substances are not present. This article addresses legitimate uses of such claims in the EU, including nutrition claims, ‘gluten-free’ claims, and ‘lactose-free’ claims. Some EU Member States have also legislated on ‘GMO-free’ claims. Finally, the article reviews the legitimacy of two labelling matters of practical relevance, namely ‘clean labels’ or voluntary ‘negative claims’, such as ‘without additives’, and, second, ‘negative claims’ with the implied message that whatever is used instead of the substance is safer, healthier, or better.

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Notes

  1. See Ignacio Carreño and Paolo R. Vergano, Uses and potential abuses of ‘negative claims’ in the EU: the urgent need for better regulation, Issue 4/2014 of the European Journal of Risk Regulation (EJRR); Christophe Didion, The Uses and Abuses of Negative Claims, EFFL Workshop, 11 December 2014, https://www.flandersfood.com/sites/default/files/ct_bestand/15/02/20/20150220%20no-palm-oil-label%20not%20prohibited%20in%20EU.pdf (accessed 26 August 2019).

  2. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18–63, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32011R1169 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  3. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, OJ L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 9–25, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2006.404.01.0009.01.ENG (accessed 26 August 2019).

  4. The ALS opinions are not legally binding. They have the character of expert opinions. In some cases, courts have used them for their food law decisions, see: https://www.lebensmittelklarheit.de/lexikon/als-alts-sachverstaendigen-arbeitskreise (accessed 26 August 2019), all ALS opinions are available at https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS-Stellungnahmen.xls?__blob=publicationFile&v=20 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  5. The opinions of the ALS are available at: https://www.bvl.bund.de/DE/01_Lebensmittel/01_Aufgaben/02_AmtlicheLebensmittelueberwachung/12_ALS/lm_ALS_node.html (accessed 26 August 2019).

  6. See, for example, ALS Opinion 2017/6 (ALS-Stellungnahmen 2017/6 Auslobung ‘ohne Zuckerzusatz” bei Apfelschorlen unzulässig). See http://bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_NEU/ALS_Stellungnahmen_109_Sitzung_2017.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  7. Commission Regulation (EC) No 41/2009 of 20 January 2009 concerning the composition and labelling of foodstuffs suitable for people intolerant to gluten, OJ L 16, 21.1.2009, p. 3–5, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32009R0041 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  8. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 of 30 July 2014 on the requirements for the provision of information to consumers on the absence or reduced presence of gluten in food Text with EEA relevance, OJ L 228, 31.7.2014, p. 5–8, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32014R0828 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  9. Commission Directive 2006/141/EC of 22 December 2006 on infant formulae and follow-on formulae and amending Directive 1999/21/EC Text with EEA relevance, OJ L 401, 30.12.2006, p. 1–33, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32006L0141 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  10. ALS Opinion available at: http://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_Stellungnahmen_98_Sitzung_2011.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  11. See http://bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_NEU/ALS_Stellungnahmen_109_Sitzung_2017.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  12. EFSA Scientific Opinion on lactose thresholds in lactose intolerance and galactosaemia, EFSA Journal 2010;8(9):1777.

  13. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 of 25 September 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the specific compositional and information requirements for infant formula and follow-on formula and as regards requirements on information relating to infant and young child feeding, OJ L 25, 2.2.2016, p. 1–29, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.025.01.0001.01.ENG (accessed 26 August 2019).

  14. See https://www.fdf.org.uk/corporate_pubs/brc-free-from-guidance.pdf (accessed 26 August 2019).

  15. Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on food intended for infants and young children, food for special medical purposes, and total diet replacement for weight control, OJ L 181, 29.6.2013, p. 35–56, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R0609 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  16. EFSA Journal 2010;8(9):1777. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1777.

  17. Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed, OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 1–23, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32003R1829 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  18. Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 concerning the traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC, OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 24–28, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32003R1830 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  19. See the answer given by Commissioner Borg on behalf of the Commission to the Parliamentary question P-009834/2013 of 26 September 2013, available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2013-009834&language=EN (accessed 26 August 2019).

  20. See https://www.bmel.de/DE/Ernaehrung/Kennzeichnung/FreiwilligeKennzeichnung/_Texte/OhneGentechnikKennzeichnungHG_Informationen.html (accessed 26 August 2019).

  21. Décret no. 2012-128 du 30 janvier 2012 relatif à l’étiquetage des denrées alimentaires issues de filières qualifiées ‘sans organismes génétiquement modifies”). JORF n°26/2012 p. 1770, text n° 27, available at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000025241412&categorieLien=id (accessed 26 August 2019).

  22. Article L. 531-2-1 of the French Environmental Code, introduced by law number 2008-595 of 25 June 2008, concerning genetically modified organisms, available at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do;jsessionid=A2D9B3B486E062EDB2F74104D1838D27.tpdjo02v_2?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006074220&idArticle=LEGIARTI000019070290&dateTexte=20140505&categorieLien=id#LEGIARTI000019070290 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  23. Article 8 of Decree no. 2012-128.

  24. Such as Carrefour http://www.carrefouruncombatpourlaliberte.fr/carrefour-sans-ogm/ (accessed 26 August 2019); and Casino https://www.supercasino.fr/100-du-saumon-casino-terre-saveurs/ (accessed 26 August 2019).

  25. Gesetz zur Durchführung der Verordnungen der Europäischen Gemeinschaft oder der Europäischen Union auf dem Gebiet der Gentechnik und über die Kennzeichnung ohne Anwendung gentechnischer Verfahren hergestellter Lebensmittel (EG-Gentechnik-Durchführungsgesetz) (vom 22. Juni 2004 (BGBl. I S. 1244).

  26. Ohne Gentechnik – anderer Wortlaut nicht zulässig: ‘garantiert ohne Gentechnik’ https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_NEU/Leitfaden%20zur%20Kontrolle%20gentechnischer%20Ver%C3%A4nderungen%20in%20Lebensmitteln_Stand%2012.10.2017.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  27. Article 3a(2) of the EG-Gentechnik-Durchführungsgesetz.

  28. Article 3a(3) of the EG-Gentechnik-Durchführungsgesetz.

  29. Article 3a(4) of the EG-Gentechnik-Durchführungsgesetz.

  30. Article 3a(5) of the EG-Gentechnik-Durchführungsgesetz.

  31. Available at: https://www.bmel.de/DE/Ernaehrung/Kennzeichnung/FreiwilligeKennzeichnung/_Texte/OhneGentechnikKennzeichnungHG_Informationen.html (accessed on 26 August 2019).

  32. ALS-Stellungnahmen der 108. Sitzung 2016 2016/44 ‘ohne Gentechnik’ bei Glucosesyrup, hergestellt mit Hilfe von gentechnisch veränderter Mikrorganismen, unzulässig. See, https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_NEU/ALS_Stellungnahmen_108_Sitzung_2016.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3 (accessed 26 August 2018).

  33. Richtlinie zur Definition der ‘Gentechnikfreien Produktion” von Lebensmitteln und deren Kennzeichnung” im Österreichischen Lebensmittelbuch vom 6.12.2007, available at http://www.lebensmittelbuch.at/richtlinie-zur-definition-der-gentechnikfreien-produktion-von-lebensmitteln-und-deren-kennzeichnung/ (accessed 26 August 2019).

  34. Richtlinie zur Definition der ‘Gentechnikfreien Produktion” von Lebensmitteln und deren Kennzeichnung” im Österreichischen Lebensmittelbuch vom 6.12.2007, available at http://www.lebensmittelbuch.at/richtlinie-zur-definition-der-gentechnikfreien-produktion-von-lebensmitteln-und-deren-kennzeichnung/ (accessed 26 August 2019).

  35. See http://www.gentechnikfrei.at/kennzeichnung (accessed 26 August 2019).

  36. Elaine Watson, ‘Natural & Clean Label Trends 2013: How clean is your label? And can GMOs ever belong in ‘natural” products?” Confectionery News, 24 May 2013, available at http://www.confectionerynews.com/Markets/Natural-Clean-Label-Trends-2013-How-clean-is-your-label-And-can-GMOs-ever-belong-in-natural-products (accessed on 26 August 2019); Jess Halliday, ‘Consumers’ views on natural and clean label terminology”, Confectionery News, 21 June 2010, available at: http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Consumers-views-on-natural-and-clean-label-terminology (accessed 26 August 2019).

  37. See, A.-L. Robin, ‘Clean label in the EU”, FoodCom, 14 November 2010, p. 2; Ignacio Carreño and Tobias Dolle, L’étiquetage ‘clean” et les allégations ‘sans huile de palme” ‘évidentes” et ‘trompeuses”, Revue européenne de droit de la consommation (REDC), Issue 1/2016, pp. 99-107.

  38. Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn, Free from ‘free-from”: Are consumers getting clean label lethargy?, Food Navigator, 14 May 2014, available at http://www.foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/Searching-for-a-label-free-from-free-from-claims (accessed 26 August 2019).

  39. The expression ‘self-evident misleading” advertising originates from the German legal concept ‘Irreführende Werbung mit Selbstverständlichkeiten’. For more details on this legal concept, see. W. Voit et M. Grube, Lebensmittelinformationsverordung, Kommentar, (Munich: C.H. Beck, 2013) Article 7, marginal 263–267; A. Natterer et E.-M. Kostenzer, Irreführende Werbung mit Selbstverständlichkeiten im Lebensmittelrecht, Ecolex, 2013, pp. 353–357; C. Oelrichs, Clean labelling – und die Werbung mit Selbstverständlichkeiten, dmz, 4/2014, pp. 8–9.

  40. The opinion of the ALS (ALS Stellungnahmen in German) is available at http://bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_Stellungnahmen_100_Sitzung_2012.pdf?__blob=publicationFile (accessed 26 August 2019).

  41. See http://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/01_Lebensmittel/ALS_ALTS/ALS_NEU/ALS_Stellungnahmen_108_Sitzung_2016.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  42. As regards a product’s packaging (a fruit tea denominated ‘raspberry and vanilla adventure’ with depictions of raspberries and vanilla flowers, but not containing those ingredients) which may ‘in its entirety” mislead although the list of ingredients is correct, see judgement of the CJEU of 4 June 2015 in Case C–195/14 Teekanne, available at http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=164721&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  43. Wettbewerbsverstoß bei Werbung für eine Tomatenfertigsuppe ohne geschmacksverstärkende Zusatzstoffe, Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht Hamburg 5. Zivilsenat, Urteil vom 08.09.2016, 5 U 265/11.

  44. W. Zipfel et K.-D. Rathke, Lebensmittelrecht, Kommentar, (Munich: C.H. Beck, 2014) C 102, §11, annotation 217.

  45. Comm. Bruxelles, 25 avril 1986, R.W., 1986–87, 885–894, commentaire G.-L. Ballon.

  46. Available on request upon the Giurì dell’Istituto di Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria (IAP) at http://www.iap.it (accessed 26 August 2019).

  47. The Order of the Administrative Court in Uppsala is available at http://databas.infosoc.se/rattsfall/17871/fulltext (accessed 26 August 2019).

  48. For the latter two claims, see Ignacio Carreño and Paolo R. Vergano, Uses and potential abuses of ‘negative claims’ in the EU: the urgent need for better regulation, Issue 4/2014 of the European Journal of Risk Regulation (EJRR).

  49. Christina Hartmann, Sophie Hieke, Camille Taper, Michael Siegrist, European consumer healthiness evaluation of ‘Free-from’ labelled food products, Food Quality and Preference, Volume 68, September 2018, Pages 377-388, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.12.009 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  50. Christina Hartmann, Sophie Hieke, Camille Taper, Michael Siegrist, European consumer healthiness evaluation of ‘Free-from’ labelled food products, Food Quality and Preference, Volume 68, September 2018, Pages 377-388, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.12.009 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  51. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives, OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16–33, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2008.354.01.0016.01.ENG (accessed 26 August 2019).

  52. Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010 of 25 March 2010 setting up a programme for the re-evaluation of approved food additives in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on food additives, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32010R0257 (accessed 26 August 2019). OJ L 80, 26.3.2010, p. 19–27.

  53. EFSA ANS Panel, 2013. Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of aspartame (E 951) as a food additive. EFSA Journal 2013;11(12):3496, 263 pp. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3496.

  54. Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 April 2000. Verein gegen Unwesen in Handel und Gewerbe Köln eV v Adolf Darbo AG. Reference for a preliminary ruling: Oberlandesgericht Köln – Germany. Case C-465/98. Reports of Cases 2000 I-02297 Case C-465/98, Darbo.

  55. After replacing palm oil with sunflower oil, Lay’s potato chips were marketed with the following statement in France: ‘Palm oil free – With a quality objective, since 2007, Lay’s produces chips with 100% sunflower oil. In addition, the sunflower oil has a better impact on the environment because it does not contribute to deforestation”.

  56. In France, the frying oil Frial, marketed by Lesieur has been marketed with the statement ‘Why does Frial not contain palm oil, compared to most frying oils available on the market? Because palm oil contains many saturated fatty acids that, when consumed in excess, are harmful to the cardiovascular system”.

  57. Aude Mahy and Filip Pauwels, Chap. 4 Belgium, in Aude Mahy and Filip Pauwels (ed), Advertising Food in Europe (Berlin: Lexxion, 2014), p. 67 et sqq., at p. 104.

  58. See, for more details: Spanish advertising self-regulatory body Autocontrol declares the anti-palm oil advertising campaign of Chocolates Trapa misleading and denigrating, Trade Perspectives, Issue No. 5 of 8 March 2019, available on the internet at: http://www.fratinivergano.eu/en/issue-number-5-8-february-2019/ (accessed 26 August 2019).

  59. Directive 2006/114/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 concerning misleading and comparative advertising, OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 21–27, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:32006L0114 (accessed 26 August 2019).

  60. See Ignacio Carreño and Paolo R. Vergano, Uses and potential abuses of ‘negative claims’ in the EU: the urgent need for better regulation, Issue 4/2014 of the European Journal of Risk Regulation (EJRR).

  61. Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 April 2000. Verein gegen Unwesen in Handel und Gewerbe Köln eV v Adolf Darbo AG. Reference for a preliminary ruling: Oberlandesgericht Köln – Germany. Case C-465/98. Reports of Cases 2000 I-02297 Case C-465/98, Darbo.

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    Tobias Dolle & Ignacio Carreño

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Dr. iur. T. Dolle and I. Carreño are Senior Associates at FratiniVergano – European Lawyers.

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Dolle, T., Carreño, I. An update on ‘negative claims’ in the EU and in EU Member States. ERA Forum 20, 549–566 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12027-019-00585-7

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