The National Authority for the Protection of Consumer Rights (ANPC) announced on Thursday evening that it had discovered differences in the composition of several Fanta products sold in different European countries, noting that if the law was broken and the double standard was proven, the manufacturing company could face fines in the amount of up to 4% of turnover, reports News.ro.

ANPC sent in a press release on Thursday that 5 months ago it sent an alert under the Internal Market Information System of the European Commission to check the labels of Fanta products Oranges, zero sugar oranges and Fanta lemons in the member states of the European Union.

The source notes that if it is established that there has been a violation of the law at the cross-border level, double standards will be punished according to the current legal provisions with a fine of up to 4% of the turnover of the production and distribution company, which in the case of Romania alone can amount to more than 20 million euro.

ANPC President Horia Constantinescu said he would not accept Romanians being treated as second-class citizens.

“I am sending a strong message to all manufacturers, distributors and traders who sell products in several European countries: we are all equal, we have the same rights and we must be respected equally! We will continue actions until we find an understanding. Regardless of the name and size of the economic operator, ANPC and I will personally do everything in our power to ensure that your rights as European citizens are respected!” said Horia Constantinescu.

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When analyzing the labels of these products sold in the EU, in the case of Fanta Oranges with sugar or with sugar/sweeteners, the orange juice content is as follows:

• below 5%, in 3 Member States,
• 5%, in 13 member countries,
• 6%, in 4 member states,
• 8% in 3 Member States,
• 12%, in 2 member states,
• 20%, in 2 member countries.

Romania is on the list of 13 countries with an orange content of 5%.

In the case of Fanta Orange Zero Sugar (with sweeteners), the orange juice content differs as follows:

• 3%, in 10 member countries,
• 4%, in 5 member countries,
• 7%, in 2 member states,
• 8%, in a member state,
• 12% in the member state.
• Romania is included in the list of 10 member states.

In the case of the Fanta Lemon product (with sweeteners), it has a different lemon juice content, namely: 1%, in 3 member countries

• 3%, in 5 member countries
• 6%, in 4 member states
• 12% in the Member State.

In this case, Romania is included in the list of 5 member countries.

“Significant differences were also recorded regarding the use or not of certain additives with coloring properties and differential use of ingredients compared to the general formula in these 3 products. There are also differences in the sweetening options for products in the Fanta Orange range at EU level, namely:

• exceptional sugar content in 5 Member States
• mixture of sugar and sweeteners in 15 Member States
• use of fructose-glucose syrup in 2 member states
• use of sugar mixture and fructose-glucose syrup in the Member State
• use of fructose-glucose syrup and sweeteners in 4 member states,” ANPC also noted.

The National Consumer Protection Authority also noted that an analysis of the labels on the products in the Fanta Orange range also revealed that ingredients with a color role are used differently at community level, namely: carrot concentrate, 2 Member States; dyes in the Member State; carotene in 24 member states. (News.ro)

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