Misleading packaging - some also call it „deceptive packaging“ - is a nuisance for consumers and competitors alike. For ten years now, consumers have been able to report packaging that they find misleading online to the consumer advice centre.
For the past ten years, consumers have been able to Lebensmittelklarheit.de anonymously report products whose packaging they find misleading. 12,000 Notes have so far been received by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations. And there are more and more reports.
Stefanie Wetzel, Project Coordinator for Food Clarity at the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, told the rbb consumer magazine Super.Markt„On the one hand, this is because consumers are much more educated today. But it is also due to the fact that companies are becoming increasingly tricky at making airy promises.“
If the consumer advice centre considers the consumer's objections to be justified, it issues a warning to the manufacturer. Around a third of companies change their packaging as a result, as was recently the case in Vetschau, Brandenburg. Wurstwaren GmbH, which is based there, advertises its products with the label „Spreewaldfarm - in harmony with nature“, suggesting that the meat comes from „good“ farming. However, the meat comes from pigs reared in husbandry system 1, which only complies with minimal animal welfare regulations.
The misleading label was warned. The company intends to refrain from misleading advertising in future and explains: „We consider the warning from the consumer advice centre to be justified. legally and substantively correct. However, it should be noted that the lettering, which has been in use for years, has not been used for the purpose of deceiving consumers.“
The Federation of German Consumer Organisations further criticises: Funny-Chipsfrisch aggressively advertises that it does not use any flavour enhancers in its products - but it does. but the list of ingredients includes yeast extract. Langnese advertises with 100 per cent natural ingredients for a stick ice cream that contains artificial substances such as emulsifiers, flavourings and stabilisers.
CEO Klaus Müller demands: „We need better labelling rules that ensure greater clarity and truth on food labels and in advertising.“ Politicians must support this with appropriate Labelling regulations even better across the EU, Müller continued in an interview with the Berliner Morgenpost in September 2021.
Source: rbb
