German consumer watchdog Stiftung Warentest has lost an appeal over its claims confectioner Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. was misleading consumers by saying vanilla flavouring piperonal was natural.
The higher regional court in Munich upheld a ruling issued in January that Stiftung Warentest could no longer publically say Ritter was wrong to describe the ingredient as natural.
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A spokesperson for Stiftung Warentest told just-food the latest judgement focused on whether the watchdog could publish the claims. She said the watchdog would study the court’s written verdict and decide whether to launch another appeal.
Ritter has yet to be asked in court to prove piperonal is natural, the Stiftung Warentest spokesperson said. If the case continues, the confectioner would be asked to explain in court how it sources the ingredient.
Flavours giant Symrise supplies the piperonal to Ritter. Earlier this year, it stated in court the ingredient comes from the sasafrass tree. However, Symrise does not manufacture the ingredient, sourcing it from an unnamed third party.
Reflecting on the latest ruling, Ritter said Stiftung Warentest had so far failed to back up its assertion. “Ritter Sport and the flavouring manufacturer Symrise, on the other hand, had already argued credibly in the court of first instance that the piperonal used was a natural substance,” the confectioner insisted.
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By GlobalDataThomas Seeger, head of the legal department at Ritter, added: “The decision is correct. It shows that even Stiftung Warentest cannot put arbitrary statements into circulation which are without any basis.”
