Denmark is facing a battle with the European Commission over its decision to refuse food enriched with vitamins to be marketed in the country unless a “nutritional need” has been documented by its own regulatory authorities.


The country is facing legal action in the European Court of Justice because its practice creates ‘unjustified trade barriers’ within the internal market. Denmark’s action is in violation of EC Treaty rules on the free movement of goods, which includes food products that are legally produced or sold in other EU countries.
EU rules do allow, in some circumstances, the banning of import and marketing of foodstuffs from other EU countries in order to protect public health, but in this case the Commission believes “the lack of a specific nutritional need for a particular additive does not mean that the additive is necessarily a danger to public health”.


France and the Netherlands are currently before the Court of Justice for similar trade barriers concerning enriched foodstuffs.


To see the European Commission’s press release, click here.

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