Paris/Berlin
In France, food retailers must mark misleading packaging with a notice on the shelf from Monday. The Paris Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that these are products for which the previous packaging content has been reduced while the price remains the same or is increased. While this practice is not prohibited, it is often criticized because it is often difficult for consumers to spot while shopping.
For a period of two months after the pack size has changed, an on-shelf notice is now required in France stating how the quantity in the pack and the price have changed. The regulation applies to food and other products, both branded and supermarket own-brand products. France introduced the scheme to identify so-called ‘shrinkflation’ during last year’s high inflation, when many people complained about high food prices and at the same time felt misled by smaller pack sizes.
Call for labelling of misleading packages in Germany too
Consumer advocates are also calling for mandatory labeling for corresponding products in Germany. “Consumers must be able to recognize misleading packaging at a glance when shopping. Products with changed composition or lower filling quantities at the same or higher price must be warned for at least six months,” said the board member of the Federal Association. of consumer organizations, Ramona Pop.
The Hamburg Consumer Advice Center has been keeping a list of misleading packages for years. Last year, more than 100 products were complained about than ever before. Some manufacturers reduce the amount of ingredients while keeping the price the same or increasing it, others swap high-quality ingredients for cheaper ones. There is a lot of misleading packaging when it comes to luxury foods such as chocolate, cookies and chips. In most cases, it concerns branded goods. “Many people don’t notice when they choose a fraudulent package for their daily shopping,” says Michael Knobloch, board member of the Hamburg Consumer Center. “The anger of the people is enormous.”
The Federal Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection (BMUV) announced in a Key Issues Paper in June 2023 that it wanted to ban misleading packaging. According to a spokesperson, the project is still being coordinated by the department. As Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said, unfortunately no agreement has yet been reached with the other federal ministries. “As many foods are marketed in the same packaging in several Member States, uniform European requirements are particularly useful.”
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