Holie’s wins case and takes on ‘sweet talk’

Lotus Bakeries has lost the injunction it filed against Holie’s. The court in Amsterdam ruled in favor of the Dutch start-up on all counts. Their Sugar-Score campaign is allowed to continue.

Sugar-Score is transparency, not deception

The Sugar-Score highlights how much sugar is in popular breakfast and snack products. Holie’s bases this on what's listed on the label, plain and simple. In their view, consumers deserve honest information. Lotus disagreed and went to court in an attempt to stop the campaign.

But without success. The court found no evidence of deception. On the contrary: the Sugar-Score was described as a transparent way of informing the public. That means Holie’s is free to continue pointing out the sugar content of other brands' products.

Merick Schoute, co-founder and CEO of Holie’s, is clear: “We’re pleased that the court has fully ruled in our favour: we’re allowed to continue showing that products with attractive claims often still contain a lot of sugar.”

Petition against misleading 'sweet talk'

Holie’s isn’t stopping here. On 15 August, the company launched the petition ‘Stop Sweet Talk’ to push back against misleading health claims. According to them, the food industry gets away with clever marketing far too often, while the facts paint a different picture.

One of the triggers was research by Wageningen University, which shows that roughly 80% of supermarket products are unhealthy. Meanwhile, rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to rise. In Holie’s view, the need for clear regulation is becoming urgent.

What are they asking for? A ban on health claims for products that contain more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams. Schoute adds: “Winning the lawsuit is great, but it doesn’t solve the bigger issue of misleading claims. We believe it’s time for political action.”

Holiefoods.com