Friday

29th Mar 2024

Clampdown on misleading ad claims

A Commission proposal due to be adopted this Wednesday (16 July) could spell the beginning of the end for well-known advertising slogans and claims used by food and pharmaceutical companies across the EU.

The proposal will harmonise rules concerning vague or misleading claims used by advertisers in the food industry such as "this product combats stress" or "helps your mood".

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The Commission is angling to ban such claims because they are not only too vague, but they are also difficult to verify scientifically and confusing for consumers.

Another type of advertising claim that the Commission has in its sights is potentially misleading claims. For example, a food product may claim to be "90 percent fat-free". Whilst this may be factually accurate, it leads the consumer to believe that the product is low in fat, whereas in fact, it might still contain 10 percent fat - a significant amount.

In fact, the Commission proposals outline a greater degree of precision in the labelling and marketing of foods and health products.

A food product claiming to be "low fat" would have to contain no more than 3g of fat whereas "fat free" could contain no more than 0.5g.

Epithets such as "light" are also to be more closely policed. From now on, "light" will have to mean "low fat", with the corresponding permitted limit on fat content. More precision will also be required for claims such as "low in salt", "high in polyunsaturates", "full of fibre" and so on.

Commission spokeswoman for consumer protection Beate Gminder told the EUobserver that the proposals would greatly benefit consumers, who will have a better idea of what they are buying.

Asked about the potential impact on advertising agencies, she said, "well, they will have to tell the truth".

The European Consumers' Association (BEUC) said that they were "very happy" that the Commission is tackling this issue but added, "we are now waiting for Wednesday to see exactly what it will propose and whether it is going the right way for consumers".

A spokeswoman for BEUC told the EUobserver that the Association had received many complaints from consumers about misleading claims on products. For example, one chocolate manufacturer tells consumers that its product is rich in antioxidants, which in turn act to slow the ageing process and protect you from the sun.

It is the idea that eating chocolate (with raisins) can shield a consumer from harmful beams from the sun that BEUC wants to see outlawed and the Commission proposals look set to fulfil their wishes.

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us