Judgment — ECLI:EU:C:1998:356
Date: 1998-07-14
Language of the case: German
Court formation: Fifth Chamber
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Consumer protection;Approximation of laws
Concepts: Labelling and marketing
Procedure: Reference for a preliminary ruling
Origin: Germany

Summary of the Judgment 
1. Approximation of laws — Labelling and presentation of foodstuffs — Directive 79/112 — 
Member States' duty to prohibit the sale of products not giving information in a language eas­
ily understood by purchasers — Scope — National legislation prescribing the use of a specific 
language and, as an alternative, the use of another language easily understood by purchasers 
— Whether permissible 
(Council Directive 79/112, Art. 14) 
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SUMMARY — CASE C-385/96 
2. Approximation of laws — Labelling and presentation of foodstuffs — Directive 79/112 — 
Obligation to display the compulsory particulars on the labelling itself— Supplementary sign 
displayed in the shop — Not sufficient 
(Council Directive 79/112, Art. 14) 
1. Article 14 of Directive 79/112, concerning 
the labelling, presentation and advertising 
of foodstuffs for sale to the ultimate con­
sumer does not preclude national legisla­
tion which, as regards language require­
ments, prescribes the use of a specific 
language for the labelling of foodstuffs 
but also permits, as an alternative, the use 
of another language easily understood by 
purchasers. 
It is for the national court to assess, in the 
light of all the circumstances of each indi­
vidual case, the ease with which the infor­
mation supplied can be understood. That 
assessment must be made in respect of 
each of the particulars required by the 
directive and must take account of the 
fact that the directive provides for the 
possibility of stating the required particu­
lars not only by using a language but also 
by means of other measures such as 
designs, symbols or pictograms. 
2. All the compulsory particulars specified 
in Directive 79/112, concerning the label­
ling, presentation and advertising of food­
stuffs for sale to the ultimate consumer, 
must appear on the labelling in a language 
easily understood by consumers of the 
State or the region in question, or by 
means of other measures such as designs, 
symbols or pictograms. The placing in the 
shop of a supplementary sign adjacent to 
the product in question is not sufficient to 
ensure that the ultimate consumer is 
informed and protected. 
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