Abstract
European food law provides for strict legal standards for foodstuffs, food ingredients and food packaging as well as for food labeling and advertising. Food manufacturers and distributors are therefore well advised to acquaint themselves with the applicable legal prerequisites before placing their products on the European market. Non-compliance with the pertinent requirements can have severe consequences, ranging from administrative fines via product withdrawals or recalls up to sensitive product liability. Relevant principles of European food law will be discussed and presented, including some fundamental rules on food labeling, packaging, hygiene, advertising and marketing, ingredients, required authorizations, health and nutrition claims, product liability and recalls.
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Notes
- 1.
Commission of the European Communities (2009).
- 2.
Ibid and European Commission (2014).
- 3.
Commission of the European Communities (2009).
- 4.
Ibid.
- 5.
Cf. Regulation (EC) No. 178 (2002).
- 6.
OJ L 354 (2008), pp. 1–6; cf. Bertling, Streinz (2009).
- 7.
Ibid.
- 8.
Ibid.
- 9.
Ibid.
- 10.
Directive 89/107/EEC (1988); cf. also OJ L 237 (1994), p. 1.
- 11.
OJ L 237 (1994), pp. 3–12.
- 12.
Ibid, pp. 13–29.
- 13.
OJ L 61 (1995), pp. 1–40.
- 14.
Cf. Hagenmeyer (2010), p. 3 et. seq.
- 15.
Cf. Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008), Art. 26 Para. 1.
- 16.
Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008), Art. 35.
- 17.
Ibid, Annex I; cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 161d.
- 18.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 2.
- 19.
Id. Art. 3 Para. 2.
- 20.
For the complete list see ibid, Art. 3 Para. 2 lit.
- 21.
Ibid, Art. 4 Para. 1 and 2 (in connection with annexes I and II).
- 22.
Ibid, Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a)–c); cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 161 f.
- 23.
Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008), Art. 30 Para. 1.
- 24.
Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008) Art. 32 Para. 1.
- 25.
Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008), Art. 34.
- 26.
OJ L 253 (2008), pp. 1–175; OJ L 44 (2009), pp. 62–78.
- 27.
OJ L 158 (2008), pp. 17–40.
- 28.
OJ L 6 (2009), pp. 20–63.
- 29.
Regulation (EC) No. 1333 (2008), Art. 12.
- 30.
Ibid, Art. 12, 10.
- 31.
Ibid, Art. 30; cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 166.
- 32.
Regulation (EC) No. 1334 (2008), Art. 30.
- 33.
Ibid.
- 34.
OJ L 309 (2003), pp. 1–8.
- 35.
Regulation (EC) No. 1334 (2008), Art. 2 Para. 1.
- 36.
Ibid, Art. 3 Para. 2 lit.
- 37.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 2; cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 162.
- 38.
Regulation (EC) No. 1334 (2008), Art. 5, 6 Para. 1 and 2, Annex 3.
- 39.
Ibid, Art. 9.
- 40.
Art. 10 Regulation (EC) No. 1334/2008; Natz et al. (2009), p. 184 et seq. (186).
- 41.
Regulation (EC) No. 1334 (2008), Art. 30.
- 42.
Ibid, Art. 12 Para. 1.
- 43.
Ibid, Art. 8.
- 44.
Regulation (EC) No. 1332 (2008), Art. 24 Para. 2 and 3.
- 45.
Ibid, Art. 4.
- 46.
Ibid, Art. 5.
- 47.
Ibid, Art. 18.
- 48.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 2.
- 49.
Ibid, Art. 7 Para. 3.
- 50.
Ibid, Art. 10–13; cf. Hagenmeyer (2010), p. 3 et. seq. (5, 7).
- 51.
Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1999), p. 264.
- 52.
Regulation (EC) No. 1332 (2008), Art. 11 Para. 1.
- 53.
Ibid, Art. 10 Para. 1.
- 54.
Ibid, Art. 11 Para. 2 lit. a)–k).
- 55.
OJ L 109 (2000), pp. 29–42.
- 56.
OJ L 186 (1989), pp. 21–22.
- 57.
OJ L 286 (2003), pp. 1–23.
- 58.
Regulation (EC) No. 1332 (2008), Art. 12 Para. 1; cf. also Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 161i.
- 59.
Cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 161i.
- 60.
Ibid.
- 61.
Cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 164.
- 62.
Directive 13/EC (2000), Art. 13 Para. 2, 16 Para. 1.
- 63.
Regulation (EC) No. 1331 (2008), Art. 9 Para. 2.
- 64.
EFSA (2009), pp. 1–7.
- 65.
EFSA (2009), pp. 1–26.
- 66.
EFSA (2010), p. 1623.
- 67.
Regulation (EC) No. 1331 (2008), Art. 5 Para. 1.
- 68.
Ibid, Art. 6 Para. 1.
- 69.
Regulation (EU) No. 1169 (2011), Art. 13 Para. 2 and 3.
- 70.
Ibid, Art. 9 Para. 1.
- 71.
Ibid, Art. 8 Para. 1.
- 72.
Ibid, Art. 39.
- 73.
Ibid, Annex VI Part A No. 2.
- 74.
Ibid, Art. 14.
- 75.
Ibid, Art. 16 Para. 1.
- 76.
Ibid, Art. 16 Para. 2.
- 77.
Ibid, Art. 16 Para. 4.
- 78.
Ibid, Art. 8 Para. 7.
- 79.
Ibid, Annex VIII No. 3 lit. a).
- 80.
Ibid, Art. 22.
- 81.
Ibid, Annex VIII No. 1.
- 82.
OJ L 109 (2000), pp. 29–42.
- 83.
Cf. the respective wording in German and French: “Die als Prozentsatz anzugebende Menge entspricht der Menge der Zutat bzw. Zutaten zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Verarbeitung.”/“Die Angabe der Menge einer Zutat oder Zutatenklasse erfolgt als Prozentsatz der Menge der Zutat bzw. Zutaten zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Verwendung” and “La quantité mentionnée, exprimée en pourcentage, correspond à la quantité du ou des ingrédients au moment de leur mise en oeuvre.”/“L’indication de la quantité d’un ingrédient ou d’une catégorie d’ingrédients est exprimée en pourcentage et correspond à la quantité du ou des ingrédients au moment de leur mise en oeuvre”.
- 84.
Association of the European Self-Medication Industry, 7 Avenue de Tervuren, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium (www.aesgp.be).
- 85.
European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers 50, Rue Jacques de Lalaing 4, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium (www.ehpm.org).
- 86.
European Responsible Nutrition Alliance, 50, Rue de l’Association, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium (www.erna.org).
- 87.
AESGP, EHPM and ERNA (2003), pp. 1–27.
- 88.
OJ L 338 (2004), p. 1 et seq.; cf. Rathke, in: Zipfel/Rathke, Lebensmittelrecht, 154th delivery complement (2013), C Part 1, 102.
- 89.
OJ L 384 (2006), p. 1 et seq.
- 90.
OJ L 220 (2002), p. 1 et seq.; cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., III C., no. 187g.
- 91.
OJ L 86 (2008), p. 1 et seq.
- 92.
OJ L 297 (1982), p. 1 et seq.
- 93.
OJ L 302 (2005), p. 1 et seq.
- 94.
OJ L 44 (1978), p. 1 et seq.
- 95.
OJ L 372 (1985), p. 1 et seq.
- 96.
Regulation (EC) No. 1935 (2004), Art. 1 Para. 2.
- 97.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 2 lit. a.
- 98.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 2 lit. b.
- 99.
Ibid, Art. 3 Para. 1.
- 100.
Ibid, Art. 3 Para. 2.
- 101.
Ibid, Art. 5 Para. 1.
- 102.
Ibid, Art. 6.
- 103.
Ibid, Art. 15 Para. 1.
- 104.
Ibid, Art. 15 Para. 3.
- 105.
Ibid, Art. 4.
- 106.
Ibid, Art. 15 Para. 9.
- 107.
Ibid, Art. 15 Para. 2.
- 108.
Ibid, Art. 15 Para. 8.
- 109.
Ibid, Art. 16.
- 110.
Ibid, Art. 17.
- 111.
Ibid, Art. 24 Para. 1.
- 112.
Directive 72/EC (2002), Art. 1 Para. 2; cf. Bertling, in: Streinz, l.c., no. 187g.
- 113.
Directive 72/EC (2002), Art. 2.
- 114.
Directive 72/EC (2002), Art. 3 et seq. together with Annexes II, III, IV and V.
- 115.
OJ L 297 (1982), p. 1 et seq.
- 116.
OJ L 372 (1985), p. 1 et seq.
- 117.
Directive 72/EC (2002), Art. 8.
- 118.
Ibid, Art. 9.
- 119.
Regulation (EC) No. 282 (2008), Art. 3.
- 120.
Ibid, Art. 7.
- 121.
Ibid, Art. 12.
- 122.
OJ L 86 (2008), pp. 7, 9.
- 123.
Regulation (EC) No. 2023 (2006), Art. 1.
- 124.
Ibid, Art. 2 Para. 1.
- 125.
Ibid, Art. 4 Para. 1.
- 126.
Ibid, Art. 5.
- 127.
OJ L 384 (2006), p. 2.
- 128.
Regulation (EC) No. 2023 (2006), Art. 7.
- 129.
OJ L 384 (2006), p. 2 et seq.
- 130.
Directive 76/211/EEC (1976), Art. 2 Para. 2.
- 131.
Ibid, Art. 1.
- 132.
Ibid, Sec. 2.3 et seq. of Annex I.
- 133.
Regulation (EC) No. 1924 (2006), Art. 21.
- 134.
Ibid, Art. 21 Para. 1.
- 135.
Ibid, Art. 21 Para. 2.
- 136.
Regulation (EC) No. 1331 (2008), Recitals 18 and 19.
- 137.
Ibid, Art. 12.
- 138.
Regulation (EC) No. 1334 (2008), Art. 19 Para. 1.
- 139.
Regulation (EC) No. 1049 (2001), Art. 2 Para. 1.
- 140.
Regulation (EC) No. 178 (2002), Art. 39 Para. 3.
- 141.
Ibid, Art. 39 Para. 1.
- 142.
Cf. EFSA (2011), p. 8, margin no. 13: “[…] EFSA will also make public, once adopted, its scientific opinion on the data and information included in the application, excluding the information considered as confidential.”
- 143.
OJ L 376 (2006), pp. 21–27; cf. Köhler, in: Köhler/Bornkamm, Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb, 32nd edition (2014), Introduction, no. 3.41 et seq.
- 144.
Directive 114/EC (2006), Art. 2 lit. (a).
- 145.
Ibid, Art. 2 lit. (b).
- 146.
OJ L 149, 27/12/2006, pp. 22–39; cf. Köhler, in: Köhler/Bornkamm, l.c., no. 3.56 et seq.
- 147.
Directive 29/EC (2005), Art. 2 lit. (d).
- 148.
Ibid, Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. (b).
- 149.
Ibid, Art. 7 Para. 1.
- 150.
Ibid, Art. 7 Para. 2.
- 151.
Ibid, Art. 7 Para. 4.
- 152.
Cf. Ibid, Recitals 18, 19, Art. 5 Para. 3.
- 153.
Cf. Regulation (EC) No. 1924 (2006), Recitals 16 and 29.
- 154.
Ibid, Art. 3 Para. 2.
- 155.
Ibid, Art. 8 Para. 1.
- 156.
Ibid, Art. 10 Para. 1.
- 157.
Ibid, Art. 13 Para. 2 and 3.
- 158.
OJ L 136 (2012), pp. 1–40.
- 159.
Regulation (EC) No. 1924 (2006), Art. 4 Para. 3.
- 160.
Ibid, Art. 4 Para. 4.
- 161.
OJ L 39 (2008), pp. 16–54.
- 162.
OJ L 304 (2011), pp. 64–88.
- 163.
Ibid, Art. 9.
- 164.
Ibid, Art. 9 Para. 2.
- 165.
Ibid, Art. 10.
- 166.
Ibid, Art. 11.
- 167.
Ibid, Art. 13.
- 168.
Ibid, Art. 16.
- 169.
Ibid, Art. 18.
- 170.
Ibid, Art. 19.
- 171.
Ibid, Art. 21.
- 172.
Ibid, Art. 5 and 6.
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Sachs, G. (2016). Introduction to European Food Law and Regulation. In: Steier, G., Patel, K. (eds) International Food Law and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07542-6_19
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