ECJ-Ruling C-881/19 (Food Law): Free translations of legally prescribed terms prohibited

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Feb 23, 2022 - Foods

ECJ-Ruling C-881/19 (Food Law): Free translations of legally prescribed terms prohibited

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in its judgment of 13.01.2022 – C–881/19 – that free translations of legally prescribed terminology are inadmissible.

The ECJ emphasizes the necessity of verbatim adoption of the legally prescribed terminology according to the official language versions. Only in this way does the consumer have the certainty of actually and unequivocally finding the ingredients whose composition and designation are legally prescribed.

Therefore, food companies should ensure that they always adopt the legally prescribed terminology, in particular designations of foods and ingredients, verbatim according to the relevant legal texts and refrain from free translations or variations of these terms.

You can read the judgment here.

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