Luxembourg/EU: Food labeling misleads consumers

Due to a lack of harmonization between European countries, there are hundreds of different labeling systems and logos, the European Court of Auditors, based in Luxembourg, underlined in a report on Monday. The 450 million European consumers find themselves “exposed to messages which are, deliberately or not, misleading”, she believes, regretting the “greenwashing” of certain companies. In terms of labeling, a series of European rules currently provide for the mention of essential information on foodstuffs.

But Member States’ controls are “insufficient”, according to the report, and fines “not always dissuasive”. The Court points out the complexity of the control systems, for example in Belgium with two competent authorities at the federal level and three at the regional level. The report also deplores the fact that European rules allow the virtues of a product to be praised on packaging as “rich in vitamin C” or “in fiber”, even when it contains a high content of fats and sugars.

He also criticizes the coexistence within the EU of several nutritional labels – “Nutri-score” (Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands), “Keyhole” (Denmark, Lithuania, Sweden), “NutrInform Battery” in Italy and a “heart symbol” in Finland. This “may lead to market fragmentation and confuse consumers.” The Court also looks at so-called “botanical” plant products, deploring that consumers are “exposed to claims not based on scientific evaluation”.

In the absence of a European list on the positive or negative effects of these products for health, Member States have their own approach, with “potentially misleading” promises on packaging. The report mentions a ginseng product, claiming to promote “muscle tone and recovery”. The Court finally notes “the absence of European rules concerning vegetarian and vegan labels”, not defined in EU legislation.

The audit covered a period from 2011 to 2023, with the European Commission and the authorities of three countries, Belgium, Italy and Lithuania, to analyze different types of labeling while respecting a “geographical balance” within the EU.

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