The popular chocolate Easter bunnies from Milka will have to appear in a different design next year.
The reason for this is a lawsuit from the Hamburg consumer center.
Bremen - In many households in Germany, the
Milka chocolate bunnies
have been a permanent fixture at Easter for many years.
They are commercially available in various sizes and types.
For the upcoming Easter festival in 2022, however, people will have to adjust to a new design, at least for the so-called smiley bunnies.
The consumer center Hamburg achieved this in court with a lawsuit against the food company Mondelez, which
sells
Milka products
,
among other things
.
Milka: Purple lettering on a purple background
But what happened?
Milka's
"smiley bunny"
, or more precisely its back, was a thorn in the side of the consumer center. There the consumer can find the list of ingredients for the chocolate bunnies. The problem with this is that the writing is printed in light purple on the dark purple background and is therefore difficult to read. According to the consumer advice center, the color combination is barely legible for the customer, as a spokesman reported on their own homepage: "The letters were already tiny, but the lack of contrast made it difficult to decipher the text." In addition, creases in the film and reflections made it more difficult for customers to recognize the words.
The Bremen Regional Court took up the matter and came to the conclusion that Mondelez Deutschland GmbH had
to offer
its
Milka chocolate bunnies
for the coming Easter with a clearly legible label.
According to the Food Information Ordinance, mandatory information - such as the list of ingredients - must be attached “in a clearly visible, easily legible place”.
That was not the case in this case, as the spokesman for the Hamburg Consumer Center emphasized: “With the chocolate bunny all in purple, this clear requirement in favor of the brand design fell by the wayside.
That does not work like this."
Milka: Mondelez Group is threatened with a fine of up to 250,000 euros
When
Milka
releases its range for Easter next year, the Hamburg consumer center will take a close look to see whether the guidelines have been adhered to.
If this is not the case, things could get really expensive for Mondelez.
According to the consumer advice center, the company can then be fined up to 250,000 euros.
Last year, Mondelez hit the headlines in connection with plastic waste.
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