The European Commission said
Wednesday that it has opened infringement proceedings against
Italy for violating EU law by making companies highlight when a
product has been subject to "shrinkflation" on the label.
Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing the quantity of a
product while maintaining the same price in order to mask cost
increases linked to inflation.
"Italy introduced an obligation to affix on consumer products a
specific indication informing that the product's quantity has
been reduced while its packaging remains unchanged, leading to
an increase in the price per unit," the EU executive said.
"While the Commission acknowledges the importance of informing
consumers about such changes, requiring this information to be
displayed directly on each concerned product does not seem
proportionate.
"National labelling requirements constitute a major internal
market barrier and seriously undermine the free movement of
goods.
"The Commission considers that the Italian authorities have not
provided sufficient evidence concerning the proportionality of
the measure, as other less restrictive options are available
(e.g. displaying the same information near the products
concerned)".
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