Court of Justice of the European Union Rules the EU May Introduce Compulsory Labeling for Citrus Fruits (November 13, 2014) [1]
On November 13, 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the Court) ruled [3] (French only) in Spain v. Commission that the European Commission may compel producers of lemons, mandarins, and oranges to label fruit that has been treated with “preserving agents or other chemical substances used in post-harvest processing.” According to the press release [4], Spain brought the case to annul the provision, arguing that “the Commission has infringed the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination between producers” since “only citrus fruit producers are subject to the labelling obligation. . . even though other fruits are also treated with several substances post-harvest.” However, the Court ruled that “the labelling relating to the possible post-harvest processing of citrus fruits is necessary in order to ensure adequate consumer protection” and “the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination is not infringed” because the culinary uses of citrus fruits make them different from other fruits.