THE EU CONDEMNS ITALY FOR INDICATING “PURE CHOCOLATE” ON LABELS THAT ALSO CONTAIN VEGETABLE FATS. COLDIRETTI:“THE EU ACCEPTS WINE MADE WITHOUT GRAPES”. CIA: “ ITALIAN BUSINESSES DAMAGED”. CODACONS: “EU TAKES A STEP BACKWARD ON QUALITY”. AND GALAN…

The European Court of Justice passed a sentence against Italy today because Italy authorizes the denomination “pure chocolate“ on labels that should also indicate “cocoa butter and other vegetable fats”. The judges claimed that the Italian regulation “can confuse the consumer and impede the right to correct, impartial and objective information”.

According to Coldiretti, the Italian Farmers Federation, “the EU is blocking the pure chocolate label after having accepted cheese not made from milk and wine not made from grapes, which is a clear sign of the contradictory behavior that has often put Made in Italy products in difficulty”. The confederation of Italian Farmers, CIA, said it “is a sentence that hurts the quality and traditional Italian businesses and also the consumer whose interests are stepped on by the lobbies. This sentencing risks creating a precedent, which can penalize other agricultural sectors and increase the contradictions on agriculture policies in Brussels, especially regarding “labeling”. Codacons (Consumer Association) has even harsher words ”this is the EU’s umpteenth step backwards on defending product quality.”

Roger Waite, spokesman for the Agricultural Commissary of the European Commission stated “we are evaluating how to proceed regarding the violation of the EU rules on labeling by Italy on “pure chocolate”. If, in fact, a country does not immediately adapt to a sentence by the Court of Luxembourg, the EU commission can launch another appeal for further penalties, or a fine”.

Italian legislation allows both categories of names to be listed- one for products made from only cocoa butter, called “pure chocolate” and one for products containing vegetable fats, listed as substitutes for chocolate. The EU legislation regarding the labeling of cocoa and chocolate matches the selling names of these products. When they contain up to 5% of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter (called substitutes) their name remains unchanged, but the labels must include, in bold type, the specification: “contains vegetable fats other than cocoa butter”. The information chocolate products containing only cocoa butter can be indicated on the label provided - explains the sentence – “it is accurate, impartial, objective and not misleading to the consumer”. The EU Commission presented the appeal against Rome and according to which Italy has established a designation of additional sales for chocolate products, depending on whether they can be “considered pure” or not. The Commission believes that the consumer should be informed about the presence or absence of vegetable fat substitutes in chocolate on the label, and not by the use of a separate product name. The Court upheld the appeal and ruled that the Italian legislation is in conflict with European law.

According to Coldiretti, the first products banned by the new EU regulations regarding fish starting June 2010 were the traditional regional fish such as cockles and razor shell as well as other fish. “ But the list of ambiguous positions is long, Coldiretti points out, for example another important products of the Mediterranean Diet like wine: The EU reform in the wine sector authorizes Northern European countries the possibility to add sugar and also produce and market wines obtained from other fruits such as raspberry and cranberries. The EU also authorized artificial ageing using pieces of wood instead of the traditional method of ageing wine in wood barrels. The legislation is deceptive, continues Coldiretti, and can be interpreted to allow selling kits in stores or online in the European Union for making wines like Chianti, Barolo or Valpolicella at home in less than a month.

“Actually”, says Coldiretti, “despite the EU commitment to protect the denomination of typical food products, false products continue to pop up all over Europe. For example, after the case of Parmesan, Parmezan in Romania was discovered, but also Swedish Fontina, Dutch Parmi, polenta that becomes “palenta” in Montenegro, or white Barbera sold in a Romanian supermarket, Cambozola in Germany of Milaneza pasta sold in Portugal. Recently the European Commission decided not to accept the Italian Ministerial Decree to make it obligatory to indicate the origin of milk used in pasteurized dairy products, but it also prohibited the use of powdered dairy products to make cheeses. The regulation established that cheese must be made from milk and not powders or by products while the EU allows, continues Coldiretti, adding up to 10% of powdered milk products instead of milk.” According to Coldiretti, “ the contradictions of the European policies are evident even in the application of the regulation regarding origin: it is obligatory for beef but not for pork; for fresh fruit but not processed; for fresh milk, but non for long-life milk or cheeses. There is, however, continues Coldiretti, some good news, like the recent EU decision to make indication of origin obligatory for extra virgin olive oil starting in July 2009, a decision favored by a constant pressing from Coldiretti that initiated the campaign for indication of origin labeling for all foods. Thanks to Coldiretti’s pressing on this issue, last June 18th the EU Parliament voted for indication of origin for beef, chicken, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and for products with one ingredient (the product needs only water, salt or sugar to be added) and for processed products that have beef, chicken or fish as an ingredient. Coldiretti hopes that this decision will soon change the EU policies in favor of transparency of information.

The confederation of Italian farmers, CIA, points out that the EU allows marketing of products (“like cheese where the percentage of fresh milk is so low it’s ridiculous or wines aged with sawdust or even reducing the alcoholic content”), whose requisites are rather ambiguous, while it is not at all interested in a clear and transparent label that indicates the origin of the product. “Made in Italy” products are heavily hurt and hindered. “It is not the first time,” continues Cia “that EU decisions have damaged Italian tradition of quality and typical foods. We can only hope”, says Cia, “that the Italian government takes a stand against this absurd sentence that hinders consumers’ rights and clarity, so as to avoid creating a precedent for the future. Otherwise, “Made in Italy” products,” concludes CIA, “and the work of all Italian enterprises, including agriculture will be at great risk”.
According to Codacons, it is clear that a different denomination for pure chocolate, without vegetable fats, would allow the consumer to distinguish quality chocolate from mediocre. Now the consumer will have to read all the ingredients to find out whether cocoa butter has been substituted with other vegetable fats such as karité, palm or illipe oil which are rich in saturated fats responsible for cholesterol in the blood: genuine chocolate instead lowers cholesterol levels thanks to the flavonoids that generate an antioxidant action. “We certainly do not want”, says the association, “the next product to be oil and have the denomination “extra virgin olive oil” removed forcing the consumer to first read the amount of acidity in the oil before buying it”.

Roger Waite, the spokesman for the commissary of Agriculture, explains that the European Court of Justice has accepted his reasoning and they are “now working on the official direction to take” pointing out that the Commission passed the sentence against Italy motivated by the fact by indicating “pure chocolate” while the products also contain other vegetable fats “is misleading for the consumer and that is why the Court passed the sentence this morning”.



Focus – Coldiretti: How Europe is changing Italian meals
- Stop on cockles and razor shell clams: starting on June 1st 2010, the new regulations regarding fish have eliminated cockles, razor shell clams and other traditional regional fish from Italian tables.



- Go ahead for cheese made without milk: starting January 1st 2009 up to 10% of milk by-products can be used, instead of milk, for making cheese, according to the (CE) n. 760/2008 of July 31, 2008.



- Sugar in wine: northern European countries add sugar to wine to increase alcohol content. It has always been prohibited in the Mediterranean countries and in Italy, which is leading the battle to stop a “cellar trick” and affirm the definition of wine as a product made entirely with grapes.
- Wine without grapes: wine made without grapes is now available thanks to the European wine sector reform dated April 29, 2008 (Reg. 479/08) that authorized marketing of wines made from fermented fruits other than grapes, like raspberries and cranberries.


- Wine aged in sawdust: The EU has given the go-ahead to artificial ageing of wine by use of pieces of wood instead of the traditional ageing in wood barrels, according to the provisions in the legislation Reg. (CE) October 11, 2006, nr. 1507/2006.


- Imitations: Despite the EU commitment to protect the denominations of typical food products, imitations continue to pop up all over Europe. For example, after the case of Parmesan, Parmezan in Romania was discovered, but also Swedish Fontina, Dutch Parmi, polenta that becomes “palenta” in Montenegro, or white Barbera sold in a Romanian supermarket, Cambozola in Germany of Milaneza pasta sold in Portugal.



- Half the food products are anonymous: “in recent years, Coldiretti has moved in the direction of transparency of information,” the organization emphasizes, “and has been able to make it obligatory to indicate the origin of beef, fresh vegetables, eggs, honey, fresh milk, chicken, tomato sauce and extra virgin olive oil on labels. There is still a lot of work to do in this area since about 50% of food from cheeses to salamis to pasta to fruit juices remain anonymous on labels”.



Highlight _- Foods on Italian tables that have origin labels

Foods with indication of origin

Chicken products

Beef

Fresh fruit and vegetables

Eggs

Honey

Tomato sauce

Fresh milk

Fish

Extra virgin olive oil

Foods without indication of origin

Pasta

Grain by products (bread, pasta)

Cheeses

Tomato products other than tomato sauce

Packaged fruit and vegetables

Rabbit

Pork and salamis

Sheep and lamb

Long-life milk

Source: Coldiretti