Gift > Consum-actors > Galatine candies, 80% milk? False!
Galatine candies, 80% milk? False!
‘Galatine’ candies, 80% milk? That’s false! The IAP, the Italian Advertising Council Institute, has finally taken the hint by Great Italian Food Trade and imposed on the Sperlari brand (1) to modify its deceitful advertising.
Great Italian Food Trade has reported to IAP, in August 2017, the deceitful advertising of Galatine sweets.
-‘Only all-natural and good ingredients’ ? Lie! 55% of Galatine sweets is composed by sugar and glucose syrup. Upon which a lot can be written, for the good and bad, as long as it attaches a hypothetical ‘naturalness’. (2) Let alone powdered milk, carried by road from who knows where after having undergone a process of concentration – who knows when – which has radically altered its characteristics.
The Control Committee for the Advertising Council Institute (IAP), ‘in conclusion of the overall procedure, has asked the advertiser proof of the accuracy of the ‘80% milk’ and ‘simple taste with all natural ingredients’ claims, provided on the packaging of Galatine products and on the pages of their website’.
The IAP, ‘in the light of the findings, has asked and finally obtained by the advertiser a modification of the claims, given that (…) ‘fresh milk’ cannot be considered as an ‘ingredient’ of the candy full stop. Its presentation in percentage, through an articulated mathematical construction, can prove to be potentially ambiguous’. An euphemism.
And it’s Milk Sounding – that is to say, the misleading evocation of milk on foodstuff that have little or nothing to do with milk – the broader context where the Galatine affair takes place.
Sangemini water is another case, where a bottle of mineral water – in complete disregard of the rules on nutrition & health claims (4) – is compared to a cup of milk. Not to mention the ‘Panini al latte’ (lit. Milk-bread rolls) by Morato Pane and Conad, that show a glass of the wholesome liquid but are instead made of the powdered kind with unknown origin.
The Italian Competition Authority, Antitrust, received a complaint – on 11.3.17, by Great Italian Food Trade – on the above mentioned unfair commercial practices named as Milk Sounding.
Impunity of these giants that keep blatantly breaking the rules is what strikes and saddens the most, the ones so passionate about food law and consumer protection as they state. Where are the authorities responsible for public oversight? And the public prosecutors?
Cases of flagrant commercial fraud, – food fraud or whatever, like the one of the Galatine sweets of the false alpine milk but also others, that concern melted cheese (still Inalpi, joined by Galbani and Mondelez, Cheese Scam, see note 1) – must be halted.
PS: on Amazon all mandatory information is missing (7) also when concerning Galatine candies. But that’s a different story, awaiting on both the Italian Antitrust Authority and the official public authority‘s intervention.