Idec (Brazilian Institute of Consumer Protection) filed a complaint of misleading advertising against the Fugini Alimentos brand last Wednesday (30). According to the institute, the Avelãcrem product, sold as hazelnut cream with cocoa, does not have hazelnut in its composition.
“It was identified that the Avelãcrem product does not have hazelnut in its composition, despite having the oilseed as part of its name, presenting its image on the label and having its sales denomination as ‘hazelnut cream with cocoa'”, says Idec, in note.
Since last Thursday (1st) to Sheet tries to contact Fugini Alimentos through LinkedIn, Instagram, the relationship center and the email provided on the company’s website, but received no response.
Instead of hazelnut, the product contains an identical aromatizer, says Idec. The packaging, however, only informs that the cream is “artificially flavored” — violating, according to the institute, the norms of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), according to which the label should say “contains synthetic flavoring identical to Natural”.
“The set of information on the package does not correctly inform the consumer about the characteristics and risks of the product and, consequently, can lead him to mistake what he is consuming”, said, in a note, the lawyer of Idec, Mariana Gondo.
She claims that this disparity of information violates the Consumer Protection Code and that it fits as misleading advertising by misleading the consumer.
This is not the only violation pointed out by Idec on the Avelãcrem packaging. The product is illustrated with a drawing of a dinosaur and two children. According to the institute, this can be considered abusive propaganda for violating the resolution of Conanda (National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents) by taking advantage of the deficiency in the judgment of children.
The complaints were received through the OPA (Food Advertising Observatory) and forwarded to Senacon (National Consumer Secretariat) and the Sanitary Surveillance of the municipality of Monte Alto (metropolitan region of Ribeirão Preto), where the company’s headquarters are located.
It is not the first time that the institute sues a company for this reason. In July, after the rise in inflation, products such as condensed milk mixture, whey and even “fake coffee” gained attention on social networks as substitutes for original and more expensive versions.
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