Green—Swan Pharmaceuticals CR, as v Státni zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce, ústředni inspektorát (Case C-299/12) – WLR Daily

Posted July 23rd, 2013 in advertising, consumer protection, EC law, food, law reports by tracey

Green—Swan Pharmaceuticals CR, as v Státni zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce, ústředni inspektorát: (Case C-299/12) ;  [2013] WLR (D)  292

“In order to be considered a prohibited ‘reduction in disease’ claim within the meaning of article 2(2)(6) of Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (OJ 2006 L404, p 9) as amended, there was no requirement that the claim expressly state that the consumption of a category of food, a food or one of its constituents “significantly” reduced a risk factor in the development of a human disease. Moreover, pursuant to the transitional measures in article 28(2) of the Regulation, a commercial communication appearing on the packaging of a food could constitute a trade mark or brand name thereby attracting the protection afforded by the transitional provisions, provided that it was protected, as a mark or name, by the applicable legislation, that question being for the national court to determine. The benefit of article 28(2) applied only to foods bearing a trade mark or brand name which fell to be considered a nutrition or health claim within the meaning of the Regulation and which, in that form, existed before 1 January 2005.”

WLR Daily, 18th July 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk