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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) is authorized to carry out inspections of food advertisement, namely in press, on the Internet, in leaflets, in shops, etc. This new responsibility is laid down by amendment to Act No. 40/1995, Coll., on Advertising Regulation effective since August 2015, and it does not apply to advertisement in television and radio.

Within inspections focused on advertising statements carried out in 2016, CAFIA found a total of 33 non-compliant advertisements. The most advertising statements violating legislation were detected in the segment of food supplements, in particularly sold on the Internet. Indication of misleading information and use of unauthorized health or medical claims were the most frequent violations.

Only health claims approved by European Regulation No. 1924/2006 can be used as well as health claims of which assessment has not been finished yet. Lists of the approved claims and claims that have not been approved so far are available in the register of the European Commission. The use of so-called medical claims (including food supplements) is entirely forbidden by legislation as medical characteristics cannot be assigned to any foodstuffs – is reserved solely to medicaments.

E-shops and advertising websites of which operators were seated outside the Czech territory are a specific category of inspected persons. They are e-shops focused on domestic consumers with information in Czech language at which CAFIA inspection detected some of the deficiencies mentioned above. Information on operators with the seat in the EU is communicated with supervisory bodies in the respective country by means of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System (AACS), of which CAFIA is the National Contact Point for the CR.

Information on non-compliant, misleading or unauthorized claims stated in the e-shops operated outside the territory of the EU was released on the CAFIA websites – List of risky websites and products to reduce the impact of illegal conduct to consumers at least.

Article by: Mgr. Pavel Kopřiva – CAFIA Spokesperson, phone.: +420 542 426 633