tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89856651098850537742023-11-15T07:38:09.353-08:00European Food Law & Policy With special attention to the Spanish case, this blog is about European food law and public policies that affect food and nutrition regulations. By Francisco José Ojuelos Gómez, Julio Basulto Marset and Ricardo Mena Cuevas.Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8985665109885053774.post-37742838832208287642017-01-03T02:24:00.000-08:002017-01-04T09:20:25.723-08:00The Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments (V): The Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and the responsibility of advertisers.<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span>The Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments (V) The Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and the responsibility of advertisers</b></div>
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<i style="color: #5d5d5d; font-family: Didot; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; text-align: start;"> by Francisco Ojuelos and Julio Basulto. Translation by Ricardo Mena.</i></div>
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<i style="color: #5d5d5d; font-family: Didot; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/la-regulacion-de-la-publicidad-de.html">Original text in Spanish</a> (</i><i style="color: #5d5d5d; font-family: Didot; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; text-align: center;">The links lead usually to pages in Spanish)</i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This is the penultimate instalment of this series of six (here the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html">first</a>, the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/01/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html">second</a>, the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/03/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html">third</a>, and the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/06/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html">fourth</a>) devoted to the study of the norms (statutes, regulations, etc.) that regulate advertising and comercial presentation of foods in Spain. A great part of what we have analysed applies in the rest of the European Union because the most significant norms are supranational or are based on them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Brief review</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">To come here, the way has made us pass, let us remember, through all these steps:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I. Introduction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>II. Context. The applicable norms:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1) General Advertising and consumers.<br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2) Unfair Practices.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3) “Specific” unfair practices on food advertising.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4) The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>claims made <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>on foods.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 27.9px;">We already know that all these norms guarantee the rights to receive a correct and truthful information (that it be true) and that, furthermore, it does not confound us, for example, by making us believe that a food is healthy when overall it is not so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have also discovered that the legislation establishes that for a food to contain nutritional statements (for instance, “source of fiber”) or staments of healthy properties (for example, “it reduces cholesterol”) the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) must be able to check and allow that there is solid scientific evidence about it. If you do not trust us, you can read the review of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) in this link: <a href="http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/tipos_declaraciones.shtml"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/tipos_declaraciones.shtml</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">The following points remain, then:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5. The Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>consumers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6. The responsibility of advertisers and their agents.</span><br />
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III. The advertising aimed at children.</div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>IV. Conclusions.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 27.9px;">Today we are going to get into points 5 and 6, and we will leave for the following (and final) instalment, the food advertising addressed at children and the conclusions. But before that, a brief but needed parenthesis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Parenthesis: authorised statements</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">We allow ourselves to make a pause, before moving on, in order to show where to find those statements allowed by the EFSA to this date, in case it is of any interest to some reader.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 27.9px;">These readers have nutritional statements authorised in the Annex of the Regulation CE No. 1924/2006 and in the Regulation CE No. 116/2010, but they can consult them here: </span><a href="http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/docs/docs/cadena_alimentaria/gestion_de_aspectos_nutricionales/Tabla_declaraciones_NUTRICIONALES_autorizadas.pdf" style="text-indent: 27.9px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/docs/docs/cadena_alimentaria/gestion_de_aspectos_nutricionales/Tabla_declaraciones_NUTRICIONALES_autorizadas.pdf</span></a><span style="text-indent: 27.9px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Concerning the statements about healthy properties (“any statement that affirm, suggest or imply that there is a relation between any food category, a food, or one of its constituents, and health”, according to the AECOSAN), the 222 ones authorised up to 2012 (out of the 2.758 requested, that is, the 8%) appear in the Regulation (UE) No. 432/2012 (1). If the statements are based on recently obtained scientific evidence and/or include a solicitude of data protection subject to industrial property rights, a different procedure is followed different from the authorisation. You can consult the opinions of the EFSA on this question (in the great majority of cases, negative) here: <a href="http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/opiniones_efsa_art13.5.shtml"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/opiniones_efsa_art13.5.shtml</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Finally, if the statements deal with the reduction of the risk factor of a sickness or to the development and health of the children a different procedure from the authorisation one also follows. In this case, the opinions of the EFSA are available here: <a href="http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/opiniones_efsa_art14a.shtml"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/web/cadena_alimentaria/detalle/opiniones_efsa_art14a.shtml</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">All of them, in any case, can be consulted in this invaluable tool of the European Commission: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/nuhclaims/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://ec.europa.eu/nuhclaims/</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Some previous words on the Regulation 1169/2011 (EU)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">As we have justified before, to be able to use the above statements (nutritional or about healthy properties), the food as a whole must have a suitable nutritional profile (that is, that it do not subtract on the one hand what supposedly it would offer on the other). On this point, we have been able to check how the European Commission fails to observe (it is six years late by now) its legal duty in establishing those nutritional profiles. Because of this, although the norm do not exist and be in force, the food industry identifies and uses the supposed void to create advertising in many cases opposed to the Law. This is so because, at least in Spain, there are other Acts that prevent us to believe that a food is suitable in order to achieve an end (to improve health) when that is not true.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Let us see what happens in the EU with the analysis of the last supranational norm of importance to which we have made a reference at the beginning of this part. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This new instalment, with which we will finish part II (“Context. The applicable norms”), begins, therefore, with a reference to one of those European norms, the Regulation 1169/2011 (EU) of 2011. Its object is the <i>food information offered to the consumer</i>. </span></div>
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<b><u>5) The Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.</u></b><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">In the same way the the ocean does not end in the line of the horizon, the European regulation with regard to food advertising is not spent in the Regulation 1924/2006: the Regulation 1169/2011 devotes specifically to the question some of its articles. </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In point 20 of the antecedents of the norm is specified the <i>consideration </i>that the [<i>f]ood information law should prohibit the use of information that would mislead the consumer in particular as to the characteristics of the food, food effects or properties, or attribute medicinal properties to foods. To be effective, that prohibition should also apply to the advertising and presentation of foods</i>. (2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Therefore, the Regulation of 2011, does not come to regulate the same thing than the Regulation 1924/2006, but to establish a new frame. <b>All information offered to the consumer, including advertising, must be legal, that is, accurate, exact, in accordance with the truth</b> (from the DRAE), according to article 7 of this Regulation (3). The reference to the <i>qualities </i>that are in this article of the European norm are akin to the <i>proper character </i>of article 5 of the Spanish Unfair Competition Act. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The question is, in short, to avoid the inducement to error, the biased or fallacious information and to facilitate that the consumer take a buying decision in accordance with his or her aims: if the consumer wants to look for his or her children, he or she should not choose a biscuit because it bears the seal of some medical association, for instance (4), for biscuits are food with a nutritional profile that by no means we can qualify as “healthy.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The example that we mentioned in the former “instalment” comes to mind now. <b>The question is not that one has to judge whether eating biscuits sporadically within the frame of a diet (a model on the rest) is compatible with a “healthy nutrition”: that point, which is arguable, is framed in another debate. The question is whether, in the act of choosing and buying a product, the veiled advertising on the healthy “plus” that is added by a seal, the consumer has received an accurate, suitable, proper information or <i>that, even being accurate, by its content or presentation induces or may induce some addressees to error, being susceptible of altering their economic behaviour</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If the formal use of a nutritional statement, of healthy properties, of an “endorsement” or, simply, of the indication of the existence of a collaboration can, in some measure, have the appearance of legality, the goal of it all is, in our opinion, to determine or influence on a buying decision that tries to choose a healthy option. It is, again, in our opinion, <b>an attempt at covertly attributing a property,</b> <b>that one of being the most healthy one than any other common biscuit, on the one hand and, on the other, to make it when the type of food –a biscuit, pastries in the end </b>(5)<b>– is included in those types that have a nutritional profile whose intake is advisable to avoid or to reduce</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The norm is imperfect (6) and a lot remains to be done, of course, but the confessed tendency is the one we have so far, although it be persecuted with mildness due to the exercised pressure taken by contrary economic interests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Opinion of doctor Margaret Chan, director of the WHO</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">As we have just mentioned that there are interests that press against a regulation that benefits the consummerʼs health, we want to share the opinion that on this particular holds the very same doctor Margaret Chan, general director general of the World Health Organization. We transcribe the opening address she gave on June 10, 2013, during the 8</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 8px; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> World Conference on Health Promotion (Helsinki, Finland):</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Today, getting people to lead healthy lifestyles and adopt healthy behaviours faces opposition from forces that are not so friendly … Research has documented these tactics well. They include front groups, lobbies, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits, and industry-funded research that confuses the evidence and keeps the public in doubt. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Tactics also include gifts, grants, and contributions to worthy causes that cast these industries as respectable corporate citizens in the eyes of politicians and the public. They include arguments that place the responsibility for harm to health on individuals, and portray government actions as interference in personal liberties and free choice.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>This is formidable opposition. Market power readily translates into political power. Few governments prioritize health over big business. As we learned from experience with the tobacco industry, a powerful corporation can sell the public just about anything. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Let me remind you. Not one single country has managed to turn around its obesity epidemic in all age groups. This is not a failure of individual will-power. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>This is a failure of political will to take on big business. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>I am deeply concerned by two recent trends. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The first relates to trade agreements. Governments introducing measures to protect the health of their citizens are being taken to court, and challenged in litigation. This is dangerous. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The second is efforts by industry to shape the public health policies and strategies that affect their products. When industry is involved in policy-making, rest assured that the most effective control measures will be downplayed or left out entirely. This, too, is well documented, and dangerous. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>In the view of WHO, the formulation of health policies must be protected from distortion by commercial or vested interests.”</i> (7)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b>6) The responsability of advertisers and their agents.</b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">With this sixth and last point of heading II, which we have called “Context. The applicable norms”, we finish the review we wanted to do on the norms related with food advertising, with the exception of the one addressed to children, which we will deal with, together with our conclusions, in the following instalment, which will be (we do not know if fortunately or unfortunately), the last.</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Let us try solving then the question that raises the statement of this point: what responsibility falls, or should fall, to the advertisers and their agents? The answer, which offers us no surprise whatsoever, is also in the Unfair Competence Act (No. 3/1991, of 10 January). Against unfair competence actions, including illicit advertising, says the Act in his article 32, a series of actions follow. The responsibility –passive legal capacity– (8) is established in article 34 (our emphasis):</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">1. The actions envisaged in Article 32 may be brought against any person participating in or ordering the unfair practice in question or who has <b>cooperated in its performance</b>. However, in the case of unjust enrichment, action may only be taken against the beneficiary of the enrichment</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">2. If the unfair practice is <b>performed by workers or other collaborators in the discharge of their contractual duties and obligations, the actions envisaged in Article 32 (1), numbers 1 to 4 must be taken against the main party</b>. Civil Law provisions shall prevail as regards compensation for damages and unjust enrichment. (9)</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 29.1px;">The clarity of the precept requires few interpretations, in our opinion. Paragraph 2 seems to refer to someone who has some kind of </span><b style="text-indent: 29.1px;">dependence</b><span style="text-indent: 29.1px;"> relation with the main parties, to whom the first paragraph refers to. In addition to what seems clear in the Act, it seems hard to imagine that the contracts for the production of advertising do not include a repayment clause of hypothetical monetary responsibilities derived from any possible claim, by any title: the person who acts in an advertising offering his or her image is subject to the advertiserʼs instructions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Nevertheless, the scientific divulgation in the food and dietary sector promotes each day that some types of behaviours be unmasked and portrayed by their lack of honesty for a great number of consumers, a point this one that, we hope, will incide too in the lack of effect of unlawful advertising, in a not too distant future (10). While we were writing these lines, in fact, something has happened that allows us to illustrate what we were referring to with that “unmasking”: the company Tiger attached an infusion, until November 28, with the healthy statement “energetic.” A warning in Twitter was enough for that company to answer in the following manner: “We have informed the Institutional department about the incident and a change of label is in process. Thank you very much.” You can check it in this link: <a href="https://twitter.com/tiger_stores/status/671263179834572801"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">https://twitter.com/tiger_stores/status/671263179834572801</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Kind regards and see you soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Notes:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">1. Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012, establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">2. Translation at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&from=EN</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">3. Article 7. Fair information practices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>1. Food information shall not be misleading, particularly: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(a) as to the characteristics of the food and, in particular, as to its nature, identity, properties, composition, quantity, durability, country of origin or place of provenance, method of manufacture or production; </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(b) by attributing to the food effects or properties which it does not possess; </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(c) by suggesting that the food possesses special characteristics when in fact all similar foods possess such characteristics, in particular by specifically emphasising the presence or absence of certain ingredients and/or nutrients; </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(d) by suggesting, by means of the appearance, the description or pictorial representations, the presence of a particular food or an ingredient, while in reality a component naturally present or an ingredient normally used in that food has been substituted with a different component or a different ingredient. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>2. Food information shall be accurate, clear and easy to understand for the consumer. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>3. Subject to derogations provided for by Union law applicable to natural mineral waters and foods for particular nutritional uses, food information shall not attribute to any food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease, nor refer to such properties.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>4. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall also apply to: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(a) advertising; </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>(b) the presentation of foods, in particular their shape, appearance or packaging, the packaging materials used, the way in which they are arranged and the setting in which they are displayed.</i>–Translation at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&from=EN</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">4. <a href="http://juliobasulto.com/el-cuento-de-julio-sin-miedo-respuesta-de-julio-basulto-al-comite-de-nutricion-de-la-asociacion-espanola-de-pediatria/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://juliobasulto.com/el-cuento-de-julio-sin-miedo-respuesta-de-julio-basulto-al-comite-de-nutricion-de-la-asociacion-espanola-de-pediatria/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">5. <a href="http://comeronocomer.es/la-carta/la-galleta-maria-es-tan-bolleria-como-el-croissant"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://comeronocomer.es/la-carta/la-galleta-maria-es-tan-bolleria-como-el-croissant</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">6. </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">The food information that must be given to the consumer from 2014 in the European Union</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, <i>Revista CESCO de Derecho de Consumo</i>, No. 8/2013: <a href="http://www.revista.uclm.es/index.php/cesco"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://www.revista.uclm.es/index.php/cesco</span></a>, Ana Carretero García, Profesor of Civil Law for the University of Castilla-La Mancha: “<i>In theory, the Regulation aims to harmonize and organize in a systematic way the information that producers must give to consumers on food products, but also it is necessary to reveal its deficiencies, for many important aspects remain unsolved, to be resolved in the future or in the hands of member States (something clearly contradictory with an harmonization process aimed at offering legal security)”</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">7. See address here: <a href="http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/health_promotion_20130610/en/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/health_promotion_20130610/en/</span></a>. And also <a href="http://comeronocomer.es/la-carta/comer-o-no-comer-vuelve-que-margaret-chan-nos-proteja-una-corporacion-poderosa-puede-vender"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://comeronocomer.es/la-carta/comer-o-no-comer-vuelve-que-margaret-chan-nos-proteja-una-corporacion-poderosa-puede-vender</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">8. Passive legal capacity is, very briefly, the quality through which a physical or legal person can be, in relation with a particular issue, the defendant in a judicial proceedings, that is, can be subject to a judicial proceedings as the part to whom is being claimed or reclaimed. Active legal capacity is the capacity to sue or claim.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">9. Translated at: <a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/ucp/public/index.cfm?event=public.country.viewFile&lawID=29&languageID=EN"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/ucp/public/index.cfm?event=public.country.viewFile&lawID=29&languageID=EN</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">10. In this study we analyse regulations, not jurisprudence, but it is not superfluous to remark here that there are judicial pronouncements that attribute a direct responsibility to third parties who are not strictly speaking the advertiser, like, for instance, the media in which it is advertised, as the Judgement of 17 June, 2011, of the Audiencia Provincial of Madrid, Sección 28ª, Appeal No. 455/2010, Judgement No. 208/2011, whose dictum is available in the first of the three instalments addressed to advertising in Courts: <a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/la-publicidad-alimentaria-y-nutricional.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/la-publicidad-alimentaria-y-nutricional.html</span></a>. While it is true that the legal title invoked in these cases (also the one of the Judgement of the Juzgado de lo Mercantil No. 6 of Madrid, Proceedings No. 817/2013, of 18 June, 2014) is the one of article 7.2 of the Royal Decree 1907/1996, that expressly declares it applicable, the said precept does not directly include a clause of imputation of responsibility, so that the ultimate ground of that imputation lies in the ilegal character of the judged advertising. It is not the same thing, in our opinion, that a famous person confounds the public by saying that the coffee is delicious, without being so, as confounding the public by attributing a beneficial effect to a not recommended food, knowing the truth. The latter, being also reproachable ethically, affects public Health and many peopleʼs health particularly, and does so to the detriment of many purses (who sustain the public Health system with our taxes) to the benefit only of his or her own (purse).</span></div>
Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8985665109885053774.post-10298371688573044312016-06-12T02:45:00.002-07:002016-06-12T02:45:38.354-07:00The Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments, (IV). The applicable norms, point 4. The Regulation (EC) 1924/2006.<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Didot; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b>The Regulation of Food Advertising: <br />
a Striptease in Instalments, (IV)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>The applicable norms, point 4. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> by Francisco Ojuelos and Julio Basulto. Translation by Ricardo Mena.</i></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2015/11/la-regulacion-de-la-publicidad-de_26.html">Original text in Spanish</a></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>. The links lead usually to pages in Spanish. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/03/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff;">last instalment, 3rd of the series</span></a> (here the <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff;">1</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #042eee; line-height: normal;"><sup>st</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #042eee;"> </span></a>and <a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/01/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff;">2</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #042eee; line-height: normal;"><sup>nd</sup></span></a>), we come to the conclusion that consumers, that is, the public to whom is addressed the greatest part of food advertising and its commercial presentation, have the following rights:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">–To receive a correct and accurate information, by applying the Consumers Act (LGDCU).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">–That such information, even when it be correct, should not lead us into error (they talk of mere probability), by its content or presentation, with regard to its benefits, its characteristics, its proper character (in the former “instalment” we stressed the capital importance of this question) or the results that may be expected from its use. Let it be noted, by the way, that we, mere mortals, have not enforced these conditions, but that they were laid down by the Safe Food and Nutrition Act and the Unfair Competition Act, which are the ones that establish these obligations on all advertirsers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have come, following the schema we had set up, to point 4 (1). You will see how comic it all is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>4) The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4.1 Importance of this important Regulation (allow us the redundancy).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This regulation, which is European, is one among those that regulate food presentation and advertising in Spain, according to the Spanish Act on Food Safety and Nutrition. Let us remember: besides declaring applicable the Royal Decree 1907/1996 (2), of 2 August, on Advertising and Commercial Promotion of Products, Activities or Services with a supposed healthy goal (we suggest you to read footnote 2 so that you understand the importance of this Royal Decree), the other cited norm in the Food Safety and Nutrition Act on food advertising is this Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Take a seat and fasten your seat belt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As there is so much information on this, in accesible publications, due to its importance, we allow ourselves to summarise the most important preview that the publication of this Regulation offered: any health claim that accompany a food product must have passed through a thin sieve: the endorsement by a group of experts of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In 2012, this sieve only let pass (that is, only approved, with a set of conditions) the 0,5% of around 44.000 solicited registrations by the manufacturers since 2006 (which is when this Regulation came out). Juan Revenga talked about this in his blog, in a text with the title “<a href="http://blogs.20minutos.es/el-nutricionista-de-la-general/2012/06/28/industria-alimentaria-nos-engana-o-esta-desinformada/">Industria alimentaria: ¿nos engaña o está desinformada?</a>” (3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4.2 The infectious lameness of the Regulation (CE) n.º 1924/2006.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Unfortunately, every law has a loophole: if the EFSA allows it to declare, for example, that some dosis of vitamine B6 can be accompanied by a health claim such as “it contributes to the immune system,” it is enough to add the particular quantity of vitamine to allow the manufacturer to put in capital letters, on the product, the aforementioned claim. We talked about this vitamine, present in a product called <i>Actimel</i>, in the former “instalment.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But let us go to the crux of our concern: apart from the support by the facts that must contain the claims on healthy properties, and apart from the facility with which some advertirsers have succeded in placing a non-supported claim on profiles by introducing in their product an additional element the effect of which is acknowledged by the EFSA, the Regulation includes a set of <b>conditions for the use of nutrient claims and healthy attributes </b>(article 4). And this is something to which, in our opinion, enough attention has not been given. According to this set of conditions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>1. </i><b>By 19 January 2009, the Commission shall</b><i>, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24 (2), </i><b>establish specific nutrient profiles and the conditions, including exemptions, which shall be respected for the use of nutrition and health claims on foods and/or categories of foods</b><i>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>By 2009?</b> Permit us to laugh at this, instead of crying. For it results that the nutrient profiles (in footnote 4 we expand to what the concept “nutrient profiles” makes reference) have not been established yet by the European Commision. In other words, the expression “by 19 January 2009” contained in the mother of all Communitary norms devoted to establishing the veracity of claims on healthy attributes present in foods is, to this day, awaiting the public activity with regard to, no more, no less, the <b>conditions for the use of these claims</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That is why we said in its day that this necessary norm is in force, but incomplete. The article exists but, if the Commission has not done its homework, does that make one suppose that the legislator has foreseen that pastries may be sold as healthy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That is the reason why we have noted that this Regulation is lame. But the thing is that it suffers from an infectious lameness, because claims are being made, that is obvious. And without the foreseen conditions by the legislator (without those of article 4, at least). Let us keep pulling the thread. Here we have what the EFSA said in 2008 (revised in 2009; http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/644):</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Foods promoted with claims might be perceived by consumers as having a nutritional, physiological or other health advantage over similar or other products without claims. The use of nutrient profiles aims to avoid a situation where nutrition or health claims could mislead consumers as to the overall nutritional quality of a food product </i><b>when trying to make healthy choices in the context of a balanced diet</b><i>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Basically, the question would be, therefore, to avoid a product passing as healthy, when actually it is not, as it happens with our banana example and the <i>Actimel </i>with vitamine B6, described before. We return to the “proper” character of foods. It seems to us, then, that <b>the prevision of the Regulation has as its object to avoid situations that in Spain are already proscribed by article 5 of the Unfair Competence Act</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Here there is more <a href="http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/nutrition.htm"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff;">information</span></a>. The scientific paper of the European Commission is available <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/files/main_documents/nda_op_ej644_nutrient%20profiles_en%2C3.pdf"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff;">here</span></a>. Obviously, and notwithstanding the extemporaneous result of this regulatory process, the pretension is clear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Having come to this point, we want to share a reflection with you: it is not that some operators be great in finding the gaps through which to score a goal against us; the thing is that we have been seeing for quite a long time how the European Administration, EFSA included, look clearly and shamelessly the other way</b>, hour after hour, day after day, year after year. Although it does not look the other way, unfortunately, with the elegance Laudrup did look at the stands when giving his passes, if we are allowed the football simile. <b>But the prevision of the Regulation and its object (what it establishes) not only do they exist, but are as real and three-dimensional as a leather ball.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> 4.3 The legislation from a closer view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> Let us advance a little bit more, for those who may be more sceptical. The very same food sector, with the help of the Spanish Administrations, identifies this question with perfect clarity. In the document “<i>Declaraciones de propiedades saludables en carne y derivados cárnicos</i>” [Health claims on meat and meat products]<i> </i>(5) it is said the following with regard to the nutrient profiles (our emphasis):</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Although there is a working document on the setting of nutrient profiles that the Commission has drafted (Working document on the setting of nutrient profiles - 13/02/2009) based on the opinion of the EFSA, while the aforementioned text be not approved it has no validity in legal terms. When that happen, its enforcement will mean that those foods that exceed certain values with regard to sodium, saturated fats and sugars (in the case of meat and its derivatives these are: 700 mg/100 g, 5 g/100 g, and without asignation, respectively) will not be allowed to contain any claim on healthy properties. On the other hand, if the product does not fulfil the nutrient profile, to make nutrient claims will only be allowed in two cases: a) if the claim refers to a reduction of fats, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, sugars and salt or sodium, and b) if only an ingredient exceeds the profile, provided that stands close to the nutrient claim and with the same characters an indication of the nutrient that does not comply with the profile. The application of nutrient profiles, in the absence of a definitive concretion, may have a marked importance for the meat sector. To illustrate this repercussion we may consider the case, for example, of the dry-cured Spanish ham. It is a very appreciated food because of its sensorial characteristics, of high nutritive value because of its interesting composition with regard to the level of proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals, being its intake compatible with a healthy and balanced diet (Jiménez Colmenero et al., 2010). For its contents in beneficial compounds, the ham could include a wide number of nutrient claims (table 6), as well as some claims on healthy properties (tables 3 and 5), associated with the bioactivity of protein, iron, phosphore, etc. However, the hamʼs composition also presents some less convenient aspects like are those regarding the quality of the fat and the presence of sodium (Jiménez Colmenero et al., 2009 and 2010). The consequences of such a fact, bearing in mind the existence of nutrient profiles, is translated into the </i><b>impossibility of making any nutrient and any health claims.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The situation is clear. At least it seems to us sufficiently overwhelming and at the same time depressing: today we can foist a healthy claim (that will make consumers believe that they are before a healthy food) on a product in which such statement should not be by any means, because its global nutrient profile is not healthy. Isnʼt it natural that if someone sells you, dear reader, a house “well positioned,” the last thing that it is expected is that some few meters away from the balcony there is a never-ending wall that annul the sights and impede the light from coming in? Well, the same thing with food products: when they tell us, for instance, that a food is “rich in healthy fats” (something that the public interprets as “good for the heart”), it is not tolerable that the food in question have huge quantities of salt (one of the main nutrients connected to the risk of suffering from cardiac problems) (6).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4.4 Respectful but vehement conclusion</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What has been said in the present instalment goes only to ratify, with respectful vehemence, what we had concluded in the other instalments, and therefore, this is our conclusion of today: we must regard as illicit advertising that one which uses <b>information that, even though it may be true, lead or may lead the addressees for its content or presentation into error</b>, being susceptible of altering their economic behaviour, provided that it fall upon, for example, the <b>proper character</b> of the food in question so to facilitate a choice from the consumer. Period. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It will be much more the case, then, when the advertising is not true, as, for example, when attributing or suggesting that a food is healthy when the scientific consensus in nutrition advises to avoid or reduce it. The question is not that the sector should not sell, but that the consumer has the right to receive a true, faithful, and honest information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4.5 Postscript: the nasty question of the endorsements</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We do not want to end without making a brief reference to the question of the “endorsements.” We beg you to read with attention the following sentence that appears in article 11 of the Regulation 1924/2006, regarding the question whether a medical association may or may not endorse products, recommend them, or approve their formulation or composition:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>National medical associations and health-related charities. </b>In the absence of specific Community rules concerning recommendations of or endorsements by national medical associations and health-related charities, relevant national rules may apply in compliance with the provisions of the Treaty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That is, there is no specific community normative on this issue (a pity, truly) and therefore it is up to each nation to draft a norm about it. If it is already drafted, everyone will have to go by it. In any case, the norm must be in accordance “with the provisions of the Treaty.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Therefore, national regulation (the Food and Nutrition Safety Act) could have prohibited food endorsements perfectly well in all cases, instead of saying, merely (artículo 44.4) that “<i>the use of endorsements from associations, corporations, fundations or institutions, related with health and nutrition will be permitted on advertising or direct or indirect promotion of foods, when: a) They are nonprofit organisations. b) They undertake, in writting, to use the economic resources, obtained from that collaboration on activities that favour health, through investigation, development and specialised divulgation in the field of nutrition and health.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Is that all? Only formal conditions with regard to companies that endorse, without making any reference to the endorsements themselves? Shall we relay everything on the bona fide of these operators?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That is all: an explicit is not necessary on this point of the Law by virtue of which endorsed foods, to be so, should be considered healthy foods for their nutritional profile, their suitability and, above all, their lack of unhealthy characteristics, because the said prevision is already in another place of the Law. In this sense, article 4 of the European Regulation, the Food and Nutrition Safety Act, and the Unfair Competition Act do not allow that foods with an unhealthy profile may have an endorsement with which to confuse the consumer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We return again, to the presumed illegalities that we noted before; for example, to the circumstances like the seal of the Spanish Pedriatrics Association on some cookies with a 21% of sugar (7), that is, with a nutritional profile clearly undesirable with regard to health. What makes us return to our first simile at the beginning of these instalments: A misspelling is still such no matter how many people keep incurring in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We are not the only ones to think that associations should not grant their logos to particular food brands: Jordi Salas-Salvadó, professor of nutrition and bromatology and member of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency of Consuming, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), thinks the same about it, as you can verify in this interview that carried out the dietist-nutritionist Pablo Barcina on November 6 of this year: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I-Ng0EHFhA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I-Ng0EHFhA</a> (minute 1:35).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With this interview we leave you hoping to meet you again in the next instalment, but before leaving we will let the windows of the balcony wide open so that some light may come in, as we need it badly, and eat a banana too, why not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So that you feel not the wait too long, we recommend you to read a brilliant text that appears in the blog “Gominolas de Petróleo”, with the title “<a href="http://www.gominolasdepetroleo.com/2015/07/no-dejes-que-la-publicidad-alimente-tus.html">No dejes que la publicidad alimente a tus hijos</a>”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Notes:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">1. General Advertising and consumers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">2. Unfair Practices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">3. “Specific” unfair practices on food advertising.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">4. The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">5. The Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">6. The responsibility of advertisers and their agents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(2) The truth is moreover, that the Royal Decree 1907/1996, of 2 August, “reinforced in rank and renovated in time,” if we are allowed to say it, by the Act of 2011, let us remember, Act 17/2011, of 5 July, on Food Safety and Nutrition, establishes (no more no less) the prohibition of advertising food products in the following cases: <i>1. That they are destined to prevention, treatment or healing of contagious diseases, cancer and other tumor diseases, insomnia, diabetes and other diseases of the metabolism. 2. That they imply specific slimming properties or against obesity. 3. That they pretend a therapeutical advantage for one or more diseases, without adjusting themselves to the requirements and conditions prevised in the Medicine Act and other dispositions that expand it. 4. That they offer securities of alleviation or certain cure. 5. That they use as endorsement any type of authorisations, homologations or controls from medical authorities of any country. 6. That they make reference to their use in medical centers or to their distribution through pharmacies. 7. That they pretend to contribute testimonies from medical professionals, famous people or known by the public or real or supposed patients, as a means to lead into consumption. 8. That they pretend to substitute the common diet or nutrition, especially in the cases of maternity, lactation, infancy or third age. 9. That they attribute to some forms, presentations or food products brands of daily consumption, particular and specific preventive, therapeutic or curative properties. 10. That they attribute to food products, destined to dietetic or especial regimes, preventive, curative or other different ones from the recognised one given to such products according to their special normative. (…) 12. That they imply or note that their use or consumption favour the physical, psychic, sporting or sexual performance. 13. That they use the term «natural» as a characteristic vinculated to supposed preventive or therapeutic effects. 14. That they attribute superfluous character or try to substitute the benefits of the medicines or medical products legally recognised. 15. That they attribute superfluous character or try to substitute the enquire service or the intervention of medical professionals. 16. And, in general, that they attribute preventive or therapeutic effects that are not supported by sufficient technical or credited scientific proofs and expressly recognised by the Stateʼs medical Administration.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(3) Revenga J. Industria alimentaria: ¿nos engaña o está desinformada? El nutricionista de la general. 28 June, 2012. Online: http://blogs.20minutos.es/el-nutricionista-de-la-general/2012/06/28/industria-alimentaria-nos-engana-o-esta-desinformada/ [Retrieved: 24 de noviembre de 2015.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(4) “The setting of nutrient profiles for foods bearing nutrition and health claims”, Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (Request Nº EFSA-Q-2007-058), availabe online at: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/files/main_documents/nda_op_ej644_nutrient%20profiles_en%2C3.pdf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(5) Health claims in meat and meat products. Summary: <i>This article has the purpose of showing the different opportunities the meat sector is provided with to establish health claims and the specific conditions of use within the legal established frame, derived basically from the Regulation (CE) nº 1924/2006</i>. Date of publication: September 2014, number 229 of the Magazine <i>Eurocarne. </i>Available upon payment in the following link: <a href="http://www.eurocarne.com/revista-ficha?codigo=16052">http://www.eurocarne.com/revista-ficha?codigo=16052</a> and free in the following webpage of the Public Organism whose personnel drafted it, the CSIC: <a href="http://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/115082">http://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/115082</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(6) World Health Organization (WHO). Reducing sodium intake to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular diseases in adults, 2015. Online at: <a href="http://www.who.int/elena/titles/sodium_cvd_adults/en/">http://www.who.int/elena/titles/sodium_cvd_adults/en/</a> [Retrieved: 24 November, 2015.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">(7) Basulto, J. El cuento de Julio sin miedo (Julio Basultoʼs reply to the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Pedriatrics Association). The blog of Julio Basulto. 24 August, 2015. Online at:<a href="http://juliobasulto.com/el-cuento-de-julio-sin-miedo-respuesta-de-julio-basulto-al-comite-de-nutricion-de-la-asociacion-espanola-de-pediatria/">http://juliobasulto.com/el-cuento-de-julio-sin-miedo-respuesta-de-julio-basulto-al-comite-de-nutricion-de-la-asociacion-espanola-de-pediatria/</a> [Retrieved: 24 November, 2015.]</span></div>
Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8985665109885053774.post-70747766323502763982016-03-08T05:20:00.000-08:002016-06-09T00:52:28.008-07:00The regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments, III: Context. The applicable norms, points 2 and 3.<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 2.01cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>The
regulation of Food Advertising: </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>a Striptease in Instalments, III</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by
Francisco Ojuelos and Julio Basulto. Translation by Ricardo Mena.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">III:
Context. The applicable norms, points 2 and 3. </span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2015/11/la-regulacion-de-la-publicidad-de_12.html">Original
text in Spanish</a>. The links lead usually to pages in Spanish.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">In
the two previous instalments (</span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><u>1</u></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">st</span></span></span></sup></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">and
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2016/01/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">2</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">nd</span></span></span></sup></span></span></span></a><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">)
we have questioned the ethics and legality of some advertising
practices concerning the promotion of foods, and we have come to the
conclusion that as consumers (who are the food advertisingʼs main
target) we have a “protecting shield” in the LGDCU, known as the
General Consumer and User Protection Act. This meant (and still
means, let no one scare) that it is our basic right the information
we receive be correct. But this, which is fine, is not enough. There
is more, much more.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 2.01cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> As
we said in the “Introduction” section, we have thought it
necessary to divide the section devoted to the norms that regulate
food advertising into six points:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; orphans: 0; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 0;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774" name="more"></a>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1.
General Advertising and consumers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2.
Unfair Practices.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">3.
“Specific” unfair practices on food advertising.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.87cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">4.
The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made
on foods.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="es-ES" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774" name="d1e401811"></a>
<span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">5.
The Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information
to consumers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.95cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">6.
The responsibility of advertisers and their agents.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.91cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Once
all this has been analysed, we will approach two more points:
</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Advertising
addressed to children</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
and </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Conclusions</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
As in the previous “chapter” we dived into the </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">General
Advertising and consumers </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">section,
today we will swim in the chilly waters of those two sections that
follow: </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Unfair
practices</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
and </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">“Specific”
unfair practices on food advertising</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Breath deep and do some stretching, for it will help you.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b> 2)
Unfair practices.</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> Did
you do a preheating? Read then the following lines (our emphasis):</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">It
is considered unfair by misleading any behaviour that contain false
information </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>or
information that</b></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>although
being accurate, by its content or presentation lead or may lead the
recipients into error</b></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
being susceptible to alter the receipientʼs economic behaviour,
provided that it fall upon some of the following </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>aspects</b></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">So
far so good, isnʼt it? Before continuing, know that these lines
belong to article 5 of the Unfair Competition Act (1), which is
applicable to advertising in general. Let us keep giving strokes,
that is, reading, to which “aspects” the act refers to (our
emphasis):</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">b)
The main characteristics of the goods or service, such as its
disponibility, its benefits, its risks, its execution, its
composition, its accesories, the process and date of manufacturing or
supply, its delivery, its </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>proper
character</b></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
its use, its quantity, its specifications, its geographical and
commercial origin or the results that can be expected from its use,
or the results and essential characteristics from the testing or
controls taken on the goods or service.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">There
is a word in the former philippic that should not be ignored by
anyone, and is the following: “proper.” We have gone to the Real
Academia, which considers “proper” as “accurate and consistent
with the conditions or the needs of someone or something,” from the
past participle of “to appropriate,” which is “to apply to each
thing what is suitable and more convenient.” Therefore, it follows
that the Unfair Competition Act states that when something is
advertised, it cannot be understood that that “something” (a
shampoo, a screwdriver, a cough drop or a fried tomato, to give four
examples) is convenient to attain the suggested end, if it is not
true. The basis for the success of every unfair strategy, apart from
the main one, which is the Administrationsʼs unjustifiable and crass
tolerance and the Courts of Justiceʼs lack of sensibility, is in the
qualifying: it is enough to add a healthy nutrient (a vitamin) to an
unhealthy product and remark the existence of that nutrient in the
composition to consummate the alleged deceipt. It is enough to put
the seal of a company from the health sector to an unhealthy food.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">For
example, no advertiser should be able to lead us into thinking that a
chocolate bar helps child growth, suggesting that the bar gives them
“energy,” for three reasons:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1)
children can (and should) grow by eating healthy foods,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2)
there are no energy deficiences in the Spanish population that
compromise childrenʼs growth and</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">3)
the consummer is being told to believe that the advertised bar
possesses a healthy quality that in no way answers the reality of the
said product, with an excess of sugar, salt and low-nutritional
quality fats, even though it may have one or some characteristic that
(in abstract and not considering the fact that the final product may
have one or some undesirable characteristic), could be considered
healthy. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">As
you would have guessed, it is not “proper” to endorse a healthy
statement to an unhealthy food, although one of its components may
cause some benefits. And the reason is that, if we follow the former
example, a consumer concerned with her childrenʼs growth may,
mistakenly, alter her buying decision and choose the chocolate bar
instead of acquiring healthy foods to feed her children. If we are
allowed the simile, a monkey wrench is good for hammering, but the
proper thing is to do it with a hammer. In the food sector this kind
of equivocations happen with too much frequency.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">Let
us see an example with vitamin B6 and a very well known product
called </span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i>Actimel</i></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) allows that every product
that have some dose of such vitamin incoporate the statement “it
contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system.”
</span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i>Actimel</i></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES">
has such dose, therefore it shamelessly uses such statement. But be
careful, and as it was expanded in the text “Is there any food that
increase our defences?” </span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(2),
the EFSA does not allow a company to state that such vitamin
“improves” the immune system (no vitamin, complement or food can
be sold today with the endorsement that it “improves” the immune
system). The ENIDE pool, furthermore, showed that there is no
shortage of this vitamin in the population. Very well then, with the
legislation in our hands we do not consider “proper” that they
try to sell us a product with vitamin B6 added, endorsing it the said
statement, instead of, for example, selling us a banana. It dealt
with this issue the biologist and dietician-nutricionist Juan Revenga
in his blog “El nutricionista de la general”, in a text with the
title “The Food Industry: does it lie to us or is it deformed?”
(3) You can also review the reflections that appear in the text
ʻHealth risks of “functional foods.”ʼ (4)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">As
we are sure that you are not yet tired of swimming (or so we hope),
let us see, then, the specific </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">food
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">and
</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">nutritional
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">regulation</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(5).
That is, we dive into the next point.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b> 3)
“Specific” unfair practices on food advertising</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> As
you will be seeing all along these lines, we love to give strokes
from one side of the Unfair Competition Act to the other. However, we
need to move to other waters and dive into the Act 17/2011 on Food
Safety and Nutrition to see the “specific” regulation. To start
with, in points 1 and 2 of article 44 of this Act we find some
somewhat cumbersome texts, that may sound to you like Greek, but we
assure you that they are crucial. For the fact is that this Act
states which Acts should rule the “commercial communication on
food,” something as important as knowing, if in doubt, who must
command an army:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">1.
Without prejudice to the specific dispositions collected in this Act,
commercial communication on food will be ruled by Act 3/1991, of 10
January, on Unfair Competition; by Act 34/1988, of 11 November,
General on Advertising; by the Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, of 16
November, through which is approved the refunded text on the General
Consumer and User Protection Act and other complementary Acts; by Act
7/2010, of 31 March, General Audiovisual Communication, and by the
special norms that rule the activity in this sphere and be applicable
to it.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">2.
Likewise, advertising messages on foods, released by any means or
commercial medium, should adjust to the applicable regulation, and
specifically to the Royal Decree 1907/1996, of 2 August, on
Advertising and Comercial Promotion of Products, Activities or
Services with an Alleged Healthy Goal </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(6)</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Believe
it or not, once this surf is overcome, which it was necessary to
face, the waters stay calm. In addition to the former, the Act
stipulates three concrete prohibitions as clear as a cloudless day.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">3.
Without prejudice to what is stated in the Regulation (EC) No
1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20
December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, in the
direct or indirect advertising or promotion of foods will be
prohibited:</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">a)
The inclusion of testimonies by sanitary professionals or scientists,
real or fictitious, or by real or supposed patients, as a means to
lead into consumption, as well as the suggestion by a healthy or
scientific endorsement. </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">[We
well deal with the endorsements issue in good time.]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">b)
The promotion of food consumption with the end of replacing the
alimentary or nutrition common regime, specially in cases of
maternity, lactation, infancy or third age.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1.01cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">c)
The reference to its use in health centers or to its distribution
through pharmacies.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">We
extract, in summary, the two basic conclusions we can arrive at after
all the above, with regard to the “specific” unfair practices on
the issue of food advertising:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>First
conclusion</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">with
regard to the content: </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>advertising,
even when accurate, cannot lead us into error on the proper character
of a food</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
that is,</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
on the convenient character for its use when what is being done is
suggesting a concrete property</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
And this is so because food advertising is ruled, besides the Royal
Decree 1907/1996, of 2 August, on Advertising and Commercial
Promotion of Products, Activities or Services with an Alleged Healthy
Goal, by the general norms (that we have enunciated in points 1 and 2
of section II, with the title “Context. The applicable norms”), a
circumstance that allows us to conclude that article 5 of the Unfair
Competition Act is applicable to it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b> Second
conclusion</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
with regard to the applicable norms: someone may try to sidestep the
said Unfair Competition Act through a feint, as a basketball player
would say. And very probably that person will do it with the excuse
that the Spanish Food Safety Act does not state specifically that
food advertising will be considered misleading if it can lead the
recipient into error. In that case, and following the basketball
metaphor, the referee should “call a foul,” because the Food
Safety Act declares that the Unfair Competition Act is applicable to
the food sector (7). And all the above means, as we have noted, that
when we are advertised a food, by no means can they declare or
insinuate to us that such food is proper for attaining a particular
end (like improving our health), because of the fact that it has an
endorsement that is conceded only by “extra-nutritional” reasons
or because it has in its composition an ingredient that, in abstract,
could be beneficient for our health, if the food as a whole is not
advisable.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">In
short, besides having the right that we have of receiving correct and
accurate information, the obligation goes further. The information we
receive through advertising and presentation of food has to be so
crystalline that, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>although
being accurate, it cannot even lead us (they talk of mere
probability) into error </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">for
its content or presentation about its benefits, characteristics, its
proper character or the results that can be expected from its use.
Under the light of all the above, our final conclusion of today is
also crystalline like purified water: an enormous quantity of food
advertising is, possibly and allegedly, ilegal. And it is ilegal no
matter how many times it is repeated or considered normal, as a
misspelling it is such no matter how many times it is repeated, as we
said at the beginning of our series.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> But
we have more nutrients with which to feed you, for we have not served
you our main dish yet, a main dish that combine exceptionally well
with what has been served so far. So that you get your digestion
ready, we remind you that in the next instalment we will offer you
The Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made
on foods. When opened, like a melon just ripe, it will show us a
pleasant surprise.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b> Notes:</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (1)
Act 3/1991, of 10 January, on Unfair Competition is applicable to
advertising practices, according to what is stated both by the Act
34/1988, of 11 November, General on Advertising, in its article 3.d,
and by the very same Act 3/1991, on Unfair Competition, that
regulates in its article 3 the “illicit advertising.”</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (2)
Basulto J. ¿Existen alimentos para aumentar las defensas? Consumer.
24 September, 2014,
at:</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><a href="http://www.consumer.es/web/es/alimentacion/aprender_a_comer_bien/alimentos_a_debate/2014/09"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://www.consumer.es/web/es/alimentacion/aprender_a_comer_bien/alimentos_a_debate/2014/09</span></span></span></a></i></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (3)
Revenga J. Industria alimentaria: ¿nos engaña o está desinformada?
El nutricionista de la general. 28 June, 2012, at:
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><a href="http://juanrevenga.com/2012/06/industria-alimentaria-nos-engana-o-esta-desinformada/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://juanrevenga.com/2012/06/industria-alimentaria-nos-engana-o-esta-desinformada/</span></span></span></a></i></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (4)
Basulto J. Riesgos para la salud de los “alimentos funcionales.”
Psicología y Nutrición. 2 October, 2014, at:
</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><a href="http://psicologiaynutricion.es/?p=873"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://psicologiaynutricion.es/?p=873</span></span></span></a></i></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (5)
In </span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="text-decoration: none;">El
Derecho Agroalimentario</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">
(2003, Brosa, Abogados y Economistas, J.M. Bosch Editor, ISBN
84-7698-693-9), pages 137 to 148, is studied the applicability of the
General Advertising Act that, is said, “…cedes before the
existence of more specific regulations with regard to functional
foods and loses efficacy before the intervention powers of the public
Administration on health matters and protection of consummers,
although it displays all its applicability in cases between
particular actors.” In cases of functional foods, the key
regulation that is analysed later is the RD 1907/1996, of 2 August.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="background: transparent; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> (6)
The applicability in this sphere of the the Royal Decree 1907/1996,
of 2 August, on Advertising and Comercial Promotion of Products,
Activities or Services with an Alleged Healthy Goal presents a series
of juridical questions of some depth, to our knowledge, that
nevertheless exceed the scope of this work. The Royal Decree has its
specific scope: the relevance that it may have on food advertising
derives from the prevision of article 44.2 of the Act 17/2011, of 5
July, on Food Safety and Nutrition. Therefore: What does it mean that
advertising messages on food must adjust specifically to the Royal
Decree 1907/1996, of 2 August? It seems that (art. 1 RD 1907/1996)
every food advertising that is released or is presented as useful for
the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of diseases or physiological
developments, slimming, modification of physical or psychological
state, restauration, correction or modification of organic functions
or other alleged healthy ends, must adjust to accuracy criteria with
regard to health. The regulation, therefore, in some measure, may
have a bearing on the same scope as the European norm: the Regulation
(EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20
December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods,
concerning nutritional statements and healthy properties in foods.</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="es-ES"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="es-ES"><i> (7)
For the fact is that, without taking away any efficacy from what the
well-known Regulation 1924/2006 stipulates, which we will analyse in
the next instalment, the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Act has
its own specific object, together with all the other applicable norms
it itself states as applicable, like the Unfair Competition Act. It
seems, so far, that there are no specific previsions on unfair
competition that establish exceptions to what it is stipulated in
general in the Unfair Competition Act, that is: in the Act 17/2011,
on Food Safety and Nutrition, there is no particular unfair
competition regulation, but just the opposite, as we have just noted.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8985665109885053774.post-21728996503724450102016-01-26T01:22:00.002-08:002016-03-08T05:26:41.675-08:00The Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments, II: Context. The applicable norms.<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>The
Regulation of Food Advertising: <br />a Striptease in Instalments</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by
Francisco Ojuelos and Julio Basulto. Translation by Ricardo Mena. </span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2015/11/la-regulacion-de-la-publicidad-de.html">Original Text in Spanish</a>. The links lead usually to pages in Spanish.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">II.
Context. The applicable norms</span></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 align="CENTER" class="western" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; page-break-after: avoid; text-indent: 0.02cm; widows: 2;">
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> <u>II.
Context. The applicable norms</u></b></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.99cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In
<a href="http://europeanfoodlaw.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/the-regulation-of-food-advertising.html">the former instalment</a> we have explained how, fortunately, a debate is
beginning to be generated around the suitability of some kind of
advertising practices and presentation of foods. Today we start by
asking ourselves the following: Does the Administration respond to
the bad practices carried out by some sectors of the food industry in
many occasions? You can guess our answer by now: we consider that it
does so in an insufficient way. For the fact is that in food and
nutritional matters, different studies have shown the existence of
massive irregularities before which there is no opportune reaction,
as far as we are aware of, on behalf of the Administration (1). We
are discovering nothing new here.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
advertising we will be dealing with here tries to convey a plain
message concerning the supposed salutary and beneficient condition of
its food products, a plain message sufficiently persuasive to
convince, not only the average, non-expert consumer, but also a
relatively well-informed consumer with average competence and
judgement (2) (3). The persuasiveness this advertising creates on
those consumers who are in need of greater protection, on those
consumers who are the most uninformed or who are the weakest, among
whom are the children and the elderly, is not a parameter which the
Courts of Justice nor the Administrations consider key when
strengthening the levels of exigency (4), at least in the European
Union. What a shame.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As
the question is not clear for a non expert, let us say it in plain
words. It is not so for an expert neither. As the situation is right
now, it would be an achievement in itself for a non-professional
person in Law to know which norms regulate a particular question.
When to the national norms we add the European ones, the question
attains epic hues (5). Fortunately, after hours of hard
navigation through the Web, during which we have had to exert
ourselves, like Ulysses, not to listen to the Sirens</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ʼ</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
songs who want to confound those who search for truth, we have
achieved to collect the applicable norms on the matter, considered
globally</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Take note:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">1. General
Advertising and Consumers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Unfair Practices.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. “Specific” unfair practices on food advertising.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">4. The
Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on
foods.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774" name="d1e40-18-11"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">5. The
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to
consumers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">6. The
responsibility of advertisers and their agents.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><b> 1)
</b></span><span style="color: black;"><b>General
Advertising and Consumers.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Advertising
is not always addressed to consumers, for in many occasions what it
tries is to convince particular groups, like healthcare
professionals, for instance. This said, we should be aware of this:
that if the advertising in question is addressed to consumers,
protected as such by their condition, that advertising must comply
with </span></span><span style="color: black;">The General Consumer
and User Protection Act</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
(from now on, LGDCU) (6).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.91cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.96cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
we observe that Act with a magnifying glass, what most attracts our
attention is article 8.d), which states as a basic right of
consumers, “</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Correct
information regarding different goods or services, and education and
the transmission of knowledge as to their adequate use, consumption
or enjoyment.</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">”
(7)</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.91cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.96cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What
does the former peroration mean? In order to try to elucidate it,
there is nothing better than to look to the dictionary of the Royal
Spanish Academy, which defines the word </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">c</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">orrect</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">”</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">in
this way</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">:
“said about things, is </span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">what
is free from error or defect and is in agreement with the rules </span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(8).”
The information that we receive as consumers must be, therefore,
exempt from errors and defects and must comply with the prevailing
legislation.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.87cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.96cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">But
the sentence states something else: that as consumers we have the
right to receive education and divulgation so that we know how to
use, consume or enjoy adequately what we are being advertised. If we
have the right to receive, someone must hold the obligation to give.
Who must offer this education and divulgation? Evidently, the public
authorities. But when revising the scope of application of the Act
(LGDCU, article 2), we discover that “</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
law shall be applicable to the relations between consumers or users
and entrepreneurs.</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">”</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Therefore, in spite of the fact that it is true and most true that
article 17 states, with regard to education and formation, particular
obligations on the public authorities (by the way, unfulfilled in a
most patent way), that does not preclude anyone from understanding
that private actors should contribute with something more than an
exact information.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.96cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Article 19.2
of the same Act declares:</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“</span><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">2.
Without prejudice to the provisions of the following paragraphs, for
the protection of the legitimate economic and social interests of
consumers and users, the commercial practices of entrepreneurs
directed at these groups are subject to the provisions of this law,
the Law on Unfair Competition and the Law on the Regulation of the
Retail Trade. </span></i></span></span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">For
these purposes, business-to-consumer and user commercial practices
are considered to be all commercial acts, omissions, conduct,
manifestations or communications, including advertising and
marketing, directly relating to the promotion, sale or supply of
goods or services to consumers or users, irrespective of whether
these take place before, during or after a commercial transaction.”</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.93cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
specific norms on unfair practices (states also the same LGDCU) have
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">prevalence
</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">over
the general ones</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
what in juridical terms means that, notwithstanding the fact that the
general ones are effective when the specific ones say nothing about a
particular case, the specific ones will be preferentially applied in
case both kind of norms regulate the same behaviour.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.95cm; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.99cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
fine, today we have seen that, on the one hand, when food advertising
is addressed to consumers, their condition makes applicable the
LGDCU. And secondly, that when we receive information from food
advertising, it is our basic right to demand that it be </span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">correct</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Let us keep pulling the thread, something that we have just started
doing. But that will be in the next instalment.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"> Notes:</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-right: 1.97cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (1)</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>
</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">La
Publicidad y el Etiquetado en los Complementos Alimenticios. ¿Cumplen
con la legislación?</span></u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">(2011,
Paula Sáiz de Bustamante Perez, CEACCU, available at
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="http://www.abc.es/gestordocumental/uploads/Sociedad/LIBROCOMPLEMENTOS.pdf"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://www.abc.es/gestordocumental/uploads/Sociedad/LIBROCOMPLEMENTOS.pdf</span></i></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">).
This study of 120 pages </span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">shows
that up to </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;">81%
of the advertising under study contains supplements that present</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
irregularities</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Within the description of “food suppliments” are hidden, as it
has been denounced by a study of the University of Alcalá de
Henares, a numerous group of “envigorating, slimming, diuretic,
tranquilizer, to boost natural defences” products
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://portal.uah.es/portal/page/portal/servicio_comunicacion/sala_prensa/notas_prensa/2015/07/1B7406C0719B6411E0540010E00C9D75"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">https://portal.uah.es/portal/page/portal/servicio_comunicacion/sala_prensa/notas_prensa/2015/07/1B7406C0719B6411E0540010E00C9D75</span></i></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (2)</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Basulto J. ¿</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cómo
nos engorda el marketing de alimentos insanos</span></u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">?
7 de octubre de 2015. Available online at:
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="http://www.consumer.es/web/es/alimentacion/aprender_a_comer_bien/2015/10/07/222697.php"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://www.consumer.es/web/es/alimentacion/aprender_a_comer_bien/2015/10/07/222697.php</span></i></span></span></span></span></a></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (3)
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Chandon
P, Wansink B. </span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Does
food marketing need to make us fat? A review and solutions</span></u></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Nutr Rev. 2012 Oct;70(10):571-93.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (4)</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The </span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Tratado
de Derecho alimentario</span></u></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">(2011,
Miguel Ángel Recuerda Girela -Director-, Editorial Aranzadi, ISBN
978-84-9903-903-9) denounces the situation of the advertising
industry and in particular the one addressed to children (page 699):
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>the
PAOS Code lacks efficacy for, as it is created “via pact its
normativity lacks the juridical efficacy norms have; and in fact time
has proved that to be true for the </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Code
has been infringed in some cases without relevant consequences for
the defaulting party</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">”.
In a footnote is referenced as an example the Resolution of the
</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Autocontrol</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">ʼ</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">s
Independent Advertising </span></i></span></span></span><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Jury
in the case AUC – Burguer King Spain. Furthermore, it is criticized
the legislative option consisting in including dispositions on food
advertising addressed to children in diverse norms, instead of
drafting a specific norm.</span></i></span></span></span></em></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (5)</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
In particular, it is more complicated in the case of Regulations,
norms that do not require to be transposed, that is, and in short,
“re-dictated” as national norms. If we are allowed so to clarify
it, the “re-dictation” is produced as a norm of national scope,
only in the case of Directives: the State has to dictate a new Act, a
national Act, that with a minumum margin of discretion incorporate to
domestic law the particular regulation, that is, transpose the
Directive. In the case of Regulations, it is not required to
transpose the norm, that coexists as an European norm and one must,
first of all, locate it in its prevailing version and, later,
interpret it as a whole.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (6)</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i></span><i>Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007,OF 16 November,
Approching the Consolidated Text of The General Consumer and User
Protection Act and Other Complementary Laws.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (7)</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Translation
by </span></i></span><i>Linguaserve, offered by the Spanish Ministry
of Justice, available online on its website.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (8)
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Real
Academia Española de la Lengua.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
</h3>
Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8985665109885053774.post-25463499217679972592015-12-22T00:55:00.004-08:002016-03-08T05:26:52.508-08:00The Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments.<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Cochin; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cochin-Bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The
Regulation of Food Advertising: a Striptease in Instalments.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by
Francisco Ojuelos and Julio Basulto<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><sup><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></sup></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Translation by Ricardo Mena.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(</span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://criticaprocesal.blogspot.com.es/2015/10/la-regulacion-de-la-publicidad-de.html"><span style="color: #fb0007;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Original
text</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in Spanish: the links lead usually to pages in Spanish)</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cochin-Bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>I.
Introduction</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> A misspelling
is still such no matter how many people keep incurring in it. In the
same way, an illegality remains one no matter how many people incur
in it without even receiving a miserable fine. It remains an
illegality just the same. We say this to illustrate how the consented
practice in time can generate an inexact perception on the legality
of some behaviours. And here we are not talking about private actors
only; we are also talking about the very same Administration, that
has been materialising behaviours for years and years, only to see
how these behaviours have been declared illegal afterwards by the
Courts of Justice, both national and international. (There are many
examples: does it sound familiar to you the abusive character of
mortgage clauses, for example, consented for years both by public and
private actors?)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Well then, in
the question of food advertising (or, in general, on the presentation
to the public of the same) we perceive that critical pressure has
increased and that it demands that action be taken against some
behaviours which, in spite of being tolerated up till now, present a
very doubtful compatibility with the regulations currently in force.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> The
issue, indeed, is a highly topical and polemical one: authorised
voices have dealt with the question very recently. So, for example,
in the blog </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: , cursive;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Scientia</span></span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
José Manuel López Nicolás (PhD and lecturer of the Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology Department of the University of Murcia) carried
out an analysis in June, 2015, concerning the advertising done by
celebrities and their possible responsibility as colaborators in the
possibly intentional inexactitudes (when not even possible
deception). The study is available here:
</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://scientiablog.com/2015/06/05/son-responsables-los-famosos-de-la-publicidad-que-hacen/"><span style="color: #fc1827;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://scientiablog.com/2015/06/05/son-responsables-los-famosos-de-la-publicidad-que-hacen/</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
In his own blog, in fact, it was denounced time ago (December, 2012)
how the normʼs lack of general suitability, coupled with the tradeʼs
cunning, allowed some practices, considered inadequate, to move with
absolute impunity
(</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://scientiablog.com/2012/12/21/el-reglamento-europeo-que-ha-acabado-con-la-investigacion-el-desarrollo-y-la-innovacion-en-la-industria-alimentaria/"><span style="color: #fc1827;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://scientiablog.com/2012/12/21/el-reglamento-europeo-que-ha-acabado-con-la-investigacion-el-desarrollo-y-la-innovacion-en-la-industria-alimentaria/</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: , cursive;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)</span></span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> In
the same way, the equally noted blog “El Comidista” of the
journal El País echoed these polemical issues. The question was that
if in order to sell, anything goes: Football players who advertise
sugary foods aimed at children, women fond of bullfighting who
advertise vegetable products and singers who care for your
gastrointestinal tract. In order to sell, anything goes?:
</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://elcomidista.elpais.com/elcomidista/2015/07/08/articulo/1436374958_145117.html"><span style="color: #fc1827;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://elcomidista.elpais.com/elcomidista/2015/07/08/articulo/1436374958_145117.html</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Later, in any case, we will see more examples. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> As things
are, we have thought it convenient to give our own point of view to
the debate raised, taking as basis both the currently regulation in
force and the available scientific evidence with regard to health and
the protection of consumer rights.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> We enumerate
below four examples of behaviours on which it is sound to ask oneself
whether they are compatible with the promotion of public health or
not; whether they respect the scientific knowledge accepted on human
and dietary nutrition; whether they are ethical and, no less
important, legal:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> ●
Statements or suggestions of healthy properties included in
superfluous foods, that is, in products that are not recommended for
a regular consumption by scientific consensus.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cochin"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin"; font-size: medium;">● Inclusion
of labels or guarantees by health companies in the aforementioned
products, in order to add a “bonus” of health over others that
are equally or more idoneous for these goals.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> ●
Concealment of its evident disadvantage over other healthy, not
processed foods (besides being cheaper too), so to simulate the
benefits its consumption would give.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> ● Inclusion
of decoys based on accesible properties with a diet in which are not
included superfluous foods, or not recommended nutritional profiles<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774#sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a>.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> We will try
to show that such behaviours collide with the advices included in the
nutritional consensuses or with the guidelines included in authorised
dietary guides, so that they should be considered incompatible with
the promotion of public health and, as a consequence, unethical. The
first two behaviours, furthermore, are legally forbidden by the
specific nutritional regulations currently in force (although
incomplete: we will justify later this apparent absurdity). With
regard to the other two behaviours, as we will see, they are
forbidden by the consumer regulation and the general one on
advertising and competence.</span></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Not to turn
this text into a cumbersome reading, we have decided to divide this
document into four parts, devoting up to six subsections to the
second part concerning the analysis of the norms. We will follow this
index:</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> I.
Introduction.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> II. Context.
The applicable norms:</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">General
Advertising and consumers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Unfair Practices.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Specific” unfair practices on food advertising.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on
foods.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to
consumers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
responsibility of advertisers and their agents.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> III. The
advertising aimed at children.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> IV.
Conclusions.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: medium;"> As our end is
to explain with transparency the regulation of food advertising and
how it deals with daily reality, you will see after a calm and forced
striptease how ugly is the show we face today due to the behaviour of
some actors without scruples. Meanwhile, we invite you to ask
yourself how scientific, ethical and legal are the advertisements
that surround you in your daily life. And so, after this “appetizer,”
we say goodbye with a “see you soon.”</span></span></span></div>
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<b>Notes:</b></div>
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<div id="sdfootnote1">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<a class="sdfootnotesym" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774#sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
We start with the present one the publication of a series of
instalments that will conform a study on the laws and norms that
regulate food advertising, taking into consideration the scientific
evidence available on health and the protection of consumer rights</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #4b4b4b;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
carried out jointly with Julio Basulto (</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://juliobasulto.com/"><span style="color: #707070;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">juliobasulto.com</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #4b4b4b;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
and @</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/JulioBasulto_DN"><span style="color: #707070;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">JulioBasulto_DN</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #4b4b4b;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in Twitter). </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Julio
is a dietician-nutricionist, teacher in diverse institutions and
member of different groups, boards, societies and committees of
experts. He is author of the books </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.megustaleer.com/libros/mama-come-sano/P624111"><span style="color: #3d009f;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mamá
come sano</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
Se me hace bola and co-author of </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.megustaleer.com/libros/comer-y-correr/P328002"><span style="color: #3d009f;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Comer
y correr</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
Secretos de la gente sana and </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.megustaleer.com/libros/no-mas-dieta/P882745"><span style="color: #3d009f;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">No
más dieta</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
At present Julio, a national authority on nutrition and dietetics,
collaborates with the programs “Healthy People” of Radio
Nacional de España (RNE), and “Being a Consumer” of the Cadena
Ser. The experience of working with Julio is always priceless and
great. Our most sincere gratitude for it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div id="sdfootnote2">
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8985665109885053774#sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "cochin";">
Royo-Bordonada MÁ. Using nutrient profiling to prevent misleading
food marketing. Public Health Nutr. 2015 Oct; 18 (15):2891.</span></span></span></div>
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Francisco José Ojuelos Gómezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359618497678654237noreply@blogger.com0