EU: No worse Nutella for the East | Economy | '
In 2016, several governments of Eastern European EU member states had criticized that their countries had inferior products on the market. It is "practice of food and beverage manufacturers" to offer inferior products despite the same packaging as in the West.
Nutella, sold in Hungary, says the Food Authority in Budapest, is "less creamy" than in Austria. The Coca-Cola sold in Hungarian supermarkets tastes "flatter" and is "less full-bodied" than in the western neighboring country.
From Slovakia it was said that products sold there often had a higher fat content and a lower meat content than in Western European countries. Instead of sugar, sweeteners were used, instead of fruit additives artificial flavorings.
At the highest level
The issue of discrimination against Eastern European consumers even involved a summit of EU heads of state and government in March 2017. The Commission notes that common testing methods have been introduced across the EU to identify duplicate standards.
Because the complaints about allegedly inferior goods for Eastern Europe, such as fish fingers almost without fish or butter biscuits without butter, multiplied, EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker had taken up the issue and launched a ban on double quality standards on the way.
According to Vera Jourova, consumers can be confident that "the content of the product exactly matches the information"
Same packaging, different content
An EU study found no systematic discrimination of Eastern European countries in the quality of food and drink. At the beginning of the week, the EU Commission stated that while almost one third of the foods examined had the same composition despite identical or similar packaging, the products examined did not show a "uniform geographical pattern" suggesting that Eastern Europe was at a disadvantage.
According to the study by the EU's own Joint Research Center, nine percent of the products had a different composition despite the same front of the package. For a further 22 percent, the modified food or drink was advertised with a similar front packaging. The EU also stresses that differences in composition "do not necessarily mean a difference in product quality".
Different tastes and cultures
The German brand association welcomed the test results. "There was never an east-west gradient," it said. The observed deviations are evident from the list of ingredients. In addition, it must continue to be possible, as hitherto, to respond to the taste preferences of a country. The brand association emphasized that the different composition corresponded to consumer preferences. "Therefore, some products can not and should not taste the same in every country," said Chief Executive Christian Köhler. This has nothing to do with inferior quality.
A ban on dual standards would mean that manufacturers would no longer be able to respond to regional consumer wishes.
Education and Culture Commissioner Tibor Navracsics also notes that there is no "gap between East and West".
"No gap between East and West"
Around 1400 products from 19 countries, of which ten are in Eastern Europe, were examined by the EU Commission. According to the Commission, the national authorities could now, on the basis of the present investigation, 'individually examine the cases concerned in order to identify misleading practices'. Consumer Commissioner Vera Jourová said in Brussels. She pointed out that consumer protection agencies have the necessary tools to tackle possible abuses through new regulations.
Education and Culture Commissioner Tibor Navracsics spoke of a "mixed record". Although there is no "gap between East and West". However, he was worried that just under a third of the samples would be marketed identically or similarly, despite their different composition.
Vera Jourová announced that she was going to penalize double standards with new regulations. Consumers could in future rely on "the content of the product exactly matches the information on the package".
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