5 problems faced by Luxembourg buyers

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The European Union has one of the most stringent legislative frameworks in the world. Yet it faces notable gaps in its product labelling system. European Court of Auditors Report 23/2024 raises the issues of legislative gaps, low consumer awareness and weak enforcement.

The EU product labelling system is based on two key acts: The Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation (2011) and Claims Regulation (2006). These documents ensure mandatory disclosure of important information, including allergenic ingredients, nutritional characteristics and storage conditions. However, this is not sufficient to eliminate confusion and ensure full confidence in products.

Challenges and gaps

Legislative shortcomings

Despite the ambitious plans, seven of the eleven key updates remain on hold. Among them, the lack of standards for the front of pack and unified rules for labelling vegetarian and vegan products stand out.

Allergen labelling

Phrases like "may contain allergens" are applied arbitrarily, which often misleads consumers.

List of nutrients

The standardisation of catalogues to limit the marketing of unhealthy products has not been completed, despite a 2009 deadline.

Alcohol

The alcohol category is still exempt from mandatory disclosure of ingredients and nutritional value, although some initiatives, such as for wine, have begun to move forward.

Consumer difficulties

Many terms such as "natural" or "fresh" are used without clear regulation, leading to confusion. Less than half of those surveyed distinguish between "use by" and "best before". About 80 per cent of claims about the environmental responsibility of products are not supported by evidence at all.

Luxembourg in this context demonstrates both progressive steps and familiar problems faced by most EU countries.

Luxembourg has joined the ranks of countries actively promoting the Nutri-Score system, which helps consumers to quickly assess the nutritional value of foods. A colour scale from green to red and letter designations from A to E enable consumers to choose healthier products. The initiative is also supported by France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. However, it is not without controversy: countries such as Italy criticise the system for simplifying complex nutritional characteristics and possibly discriminating against traditional products.

Luxembourg faces the same difficulties as other EU countries when it comes to checking products in online shops. The majority of violations are related to the lack of reliable information on composition and nutritional characteristics. The situation with violations in neighbouring countries (e.g. Lithuania, where the level of non-compliance reaches 61.6%) reflects the scale of the problem.

It is clear that the EU needs a more harmonised approach to not only meet rising consumer expectations, but also to protect their interests from confusion and unfair practices.

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