Misleading branding and naming of food and healthcare products

24.8.2015

Question for written answer P-012128-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Dita Charanzová (ALDE)

There is currently a trend in Europe in the retail food and home healthcare industries to adopt a general policy of applying the same brands across Europe, which might be seen as a positive sign of moving towards a genuine single market.

In practice, however, these products, while branded identically or given the same name in translation, are often very different in terms of their ingredients, nutritional content, quantity or overall quality. An increase in the number of Europeans moving and travelling across borders has highlighted this issue, which could be viewed as misleading advertising.

This is especially true in the case of cross-border purchases, where a lower price for the same branded product could falsely lead consumers to believe they are getting a better deal on an ‘identical’ product.

Lastly, people with allergies or other reasons to avoid certain ingredients are at risk of unintentional consumption, which could lead to physical or other harm.

Is the Commission aware of the practice of selling non-identical products under the same name and brand in different Member States?

Does the Commission view this practice as misleading to consumers?