Area: Kmetijstvo
Competent authority: MKGP
EZU URL: .nan
Initiative ID: 900
Initiative accepted and completed: '2018-04-05'
Initiative classified in EZU: .nan
Initiative forwarded in response: '2018-03-20'
Initiative published: '2018-03-20'
Initiative submitted: '2018-03-20'
Response from the competent authority: "Reply from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry\
  \ and Food:In your initiative, you suggest that Slovenia should legislate on the\
  \ regions or narrower geographical areas that would determine when milk produced\
  \ in these areas can be advertised as \"Alpine milk\". You believe that milk from,\
  \ say, Dolenjska, which is put into packaging that states 'Alpine milk', is no less\
  \ misleading to the consumer than if the packaging of the product advertises that\
  \ the vegetable oil contains no cholesterol. You argue that the state must protect\
  \ the average consumer and legislate against any misleading practice in food labelling.\r\
  \nFood labelling is regulated by Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament\
  \ and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers. It provides\
  \ in Article 7(1)(a) that food information must not mislead as to, inter alia, the\
  \ characteristics of the food and in particular its nature, identity, properties,\
  \ composition, quantity, shelf-life, country of origin or place of provenance, method\
  \ of production or place of production.\r\nThere is a legal basis to prevent misuse\
  \ of the place of origin. What makes 'Alpine milk' special is that it is a trademark\
  \ that was registered more than 50 years ago, under the legislation of the time.\
  \ As a general rule, however, the legislation cannot be applied retroactively. \"\
  Alpine milk\" has already become a generic name for sustainable milk. There are\
  \ a number of generic names for certain products with a geographical component,\
  \ e.g. Wiener schnitzel, Hungarian salami, French salad, etc. This does not mean\
  \ that the product originates from that area, but rather that it is a type or type\
  \ of product.\r\nIn the article, you mention the optional quality indication 'mountain\
  \ product', the use of which is precisely defined by Commission Delegated Regulation\
  \ (EU) No 665/2014 of 11 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of\
  \ the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the conditions of use of\
  \ the optional quality indication 'mountain product'. Should this claim be made\
  \ on Alpine milk, the provisions of this Regulation would have to be respected.\r\
  \nRecently, the Intellectual Property Office has been consulting the Ministry of\
  \ Agriculture, Forestry and Food on the registration of trademarks with a geographical\
  \ component, or no longer registers such trademarks that could mislead consumers.\r\
  \n "
Text file: 900.txt
Title: Geographical origin of food designations
URL: https://www.stopbirokraciji.gov.si/pobuda/?st=900
