Irish chocolate can finally be sold as "real" chocolate in Italy and Spain after an EU court ruled that Italian and Spanish laws on foreign-produced chocolate infringed the free movement of goods.
Italian and Spanish laws were deemed to have broken European legislation by forcing Irish products to be labelled as "chocolate substitute".
EU law rules that chocolate with a minimum of vegetable fats, like that made in six other EU states, including Ireland, Britain and Denmark, could be marketed as chocolate and not chocolate substitute.
EU food law expert Mr Raymond O'Rourke welcomed yesterday's European Court of Justice ruling on chocolate as "good news for Irish chocolate manufacturers seeking to sell their products in Italy and Spain". Mr O'Rourke said last night: "Irish chocolate at present is prohibited to be sold in Italy and Spain unless it is labelled as 'chocolate substitutes', thereby implying to consumers that it is an inferior product."
Irish chocolate has a minimum content of cocoa butter in addition to other vegetable fats. "Unless the chocolate had undergone substantial modification in terms of its composition, the court ruled that the Italian and Spanish authorities had no right to restrict Irish chocolate in this fashion," he added.
The ruling is the latest chapter in a 30-year battle of cocoa "purist" countries, such as Belgium, famous for its chocolates, Italy and Spain, which have fought bitterly to have chocolate contain only cocoa ingredients.