A German judge has decided that brewers may no longer describe their products as healthy in their marketing and packaging. According to the judge in question this suggests health benefits while obscuring the dangers of alcohol consumption.
The court of the district of Ravensburg has set a precedent by prohibiting the Härle brewery from using the characteristic ‘wholesome’ in its advertising. The verdict follows after a complaint filed by the Berliner Verband Sozialer Wettbewerbe (VSW) about the claims made on the website of the Leutkirch im Kreis based brewer.
The Härle brewery however sees no reason to refrain from using the term and claims that ‘wholesome’ is a rightful claim to be made about its product.
The Association of Private Breweries in Germany intently looked out to the verdict because Härle is not the only brewery that uses the term ‘wholesome’ for beer.
The verdict was based on a 2012 decision by the European Court of Justice which said that wine growers may not use certain slogans such as ‘wholesome’ in their advertising. The slogans prohibited by this 2012 verdict also includes referring to the low acidity, and easier digestion as these can be interpreted as health claims and therefore conceals the dangers of alcohol consumption.
Source: Spiegel.de 08/25/15
