Pet Food and bins. The notifications from Great Italian Food Trade to some groups of the Great Organized Distribution, on the case of the products ‘Last’ by Affinity Petcare SA, collect the first feedback. The mass retail trade more attentive activates itself to protect its consumers. Awaiting news from theAntitrust, in turn interested in the matter.
Pet Food illegal, the role of distribution
Great Italian Food Trade has reported several times the label irregularities of dog and cat feed under the brand ‘Last’. Claim illegitimate nutritional claims, images depicting fruit and vegetables present in negligible quantities and various other violations of current regulations. (1)
Labels must be transparent and must never mislead consumers. This applies to food products as well as to foods intended for pets. (2) All the more so considering that the care devoted to our four-legged friends involves almost comparable expenses, with a not negligible impact on daily spending.
‘Labeling, advertising and presentation of food or feed, including their form, appearance or packaging, the packaging materials used, the way in which the food or feed is arranged, the context in which they are displayed and the information made available about them by any means, must not mislead consumers’ (Reg. EC 178/02, art. 16).
The distributor's responsibility is therefore crucial. Since it participates substantially in the value chain and has tools (such as technical sheets and analysis certificates) not accessible to consumers but essential for the proper verification of the legality of products placed on the market. And it is able to promptly prevent or stop the sale of those that do not meet legal requirements. (3)
Affinity ‘Last’. The notifications from GIFT, to the GDO and the ASL
Affinity Petcare SA is a Spanish global-scale giant, €305 million turnover, seventh place in the European pet food market. (4) But the leader in sales does not set a good example of rule compliance, as it should. At least in Italy, where products under the ‘Last’ brand are ubiquitous and yet present serious irregularities.
The health authorities responsible for controlling the labels of Pet Food seem to be occupied elsewhere, as the market overflows with misleading commercial information. We thus started from ‘Last’ and will continue, to promote legality and protect the ConsumActors in this ‘no man's land’ where 30 out of 40 labels – in the recent study of the University of Padua – are found to be illegal.
Great Italian Food Trade has thus initiated a new course of notifications of irregularities to distribution operators and, for information, to the ASLs responsible for the territory.
The times and ways of reaction among other things, offer interesting insights on the effectiveness of quality systems and ‘customer care’ of the various groups of GDO (Large Organized Distribution) contacted so far:
1) Iper Montebello, Finiper group, is the most effective. Having acknowledged our report, it communicated after a few days the decision to suspend the sale of the product as a precaution. A proactive intervention that is hoped will set a precedent in the GDO,
2) Coop Italia e PAM Panorama, tied for first place, stand out for the promptness of their response. Within a couple of hours, the two major chains communicated that they immediately called a meeting with purchasing management (Coop Italia) and a direct inquiry to Affinity (PAM). Both emphasized that, in the absence of adequate feedback in a short time, they will suspend the sale of the pet food in question,
3) Esselunga, Auchan and Carrefour are the very last to have received our report. We await responses, updates will follow,
4) Famila it is instead the first distributor to have received the notification, but refraining from providing a response. In the ongoing silence, the competent ASL has also been urged, so far in vain.
The carousel is over, everyone must take their own responsibilities. In the Pet Food as in food & drink. Those who produce and label, those who sell and promote, those who control or omit acts of their own office. Rien ne va plus.
Dario Dongo
Note
(1) Cf. reg. EC 767/09, legislative decree 26/2017. More information on https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/approfondimenti_1/mangimi-le-sanzioni-per-violazione-del-regolamento-767-2009
(2) Cf. reg. EC 767/09, art. 13
(3) Responsibilities regarding risky feed are specular to those on food safety, already in reg. EC 178/02 (see articles 15 and 20, compared with articles 14 and 19).
(4) Data 2017, source www.petb2b.it
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
