Category: European Courts
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Dutch Trader Jailed for Falsifying Documents in Horsemeat Scandal
A Dutchman has reportedly been sentenced to jail after authorities determined that his companies sold at least 336 metric tons of horsemeat labeled as beef in 2013. Willy Selten will serve 2.5 years for forging invoices, labels and declarations and using forged documents to sell meat. The court judgment apparently determined that Selten “contributed to…
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Sentences Determined for First Prosecutions in U.K. “Horsemeat Scandal”
According to a Crown Prosecution Service press release, Peter Boddy and David Moss have been sentenced in the first prosecutions stemming from the “horsemeat scandal” of 2013. Moss, the slaughterhouse manager, was convicted of falsifying an invoice during a U.K. Food Standards Agency investigation and received a four-month suspended prison sentence. Slaughterhouse owner Boddy was…
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European Court Affirms Ruling Against Dole on Banana Price-Fixing
The European Court of Justice has refused to void a lower court’s decision against Dole Foods confirming an $83 million fine shared with other companies resulting from a finding of collusion to fix the prices of bananas sold in several European countries. Dole Food & Dole Germany v. Commission, No. C-286/13 P (E.C.J., order entered…
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EU Court of Justice Allows Retailer Liability for Poultry with Salmonella
The European Union’s (EU’s) Court of Justice has determined that the law requires fresh poultry meat to satisfy the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs and that national law may impose a penalty on “a food business operator which is active only at the distribution stage” for placing a contaminated food product on the market. Reindl v.…
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German Appeals Court Dismisses Challenge to Ritter Sport’s “Natural” Vanilla Flavor
A German appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by consumer group Stiftung Warentest accusing candy manufacturer Ritter Sport of labeling its Whole Hazelnut bar as natural despite containing piperonal, which the group contends can only be obtained using unnatural chemicals. The ruling prevents Stiftung Warentest from claiming Ritter is misleading customers but does not…
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Swiss Tribunal Rules “Absinthe” Is Generic, Not Tied to Place of Origin
Ruling against Val-de-Travers absinthe producers, the Swiss Federal Administrative Tribunal has reversed a 2010 Federal Office of Agriculture decision confirming the “protected geographical indications” registration of the terms “absinthe,” “fée verte”—the green fairy and “la bleue.” Guignon v. Ass’n interprofessionnelle de l’Absinthe, No. B-4820/2012 (Tribunal administratif fédéral, decided August 13, 2014). The court said in a…
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Chobani Loses Final UK Appeal in “Greek” Yogurt Dispute
The U.K. Supreme Court has reportedly refused to consider the appeal filed by Chobani Inc. from an appeals court order dismissing its appeal of a permanent injunction prohibiting the company from designating its U.S.-made yogurt as “Greek” yogurt. Additional details about the January 2014 appeals court ruling appear in Issue 511 of this Update. According…
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EU Court Advisor Issues Opinion on Obesity as Protected Disability
Advocate General Niilo Jääskinen of the EU Court of Justice has issued an opinion in the case of a morbidly obese child-minder in Denmark who lost his job, allegedly due to unlawful discrimination, finding that “if obesity has reached such a degree that it plainly hinders participation in professional life, then this can be a…