Beyond Food Safety: EU Food Information Standards as a Facilitator of Political Consumerism and International Law Enforcement Mechanism

Abstract

In Organisation juive europeenne, Vignoble Psagot Ltd v Ministre de l’Economie et des Finances (Organisation juive europeenne) (C-363/18), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU or Court) was tasked with deciding what information on its country of origin or place of provenance is mandatory for business according to existing European legislation. This case note summarises the interpretative decisions taken by the AG Hogan (Advocate General or AG) and the Court in their opinion and judgment, respectively. It then considers the broader implications of this case from several perspectives: first, from the perspective of political consumerism and its (potential) role in EU internal market law; second, from the perspective of the enforcement of international law; and third, from the perspective of the coherence of EU food and consumer law including its behavioural dimension.