Foodwatch is a European

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...

that focuses on protecting

consumer rights Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

as they pertain to

food quality Food quality is a concept often based on the organoleptic characteristics (e.g., taste, aroma, appearance) and nutritional value of food. Producers reducing potential pathogens and other hazards through food safety practices is another important fa ...

. Was founded in October 2002 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

by former

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

executive director Thilo Bode. the organization is active in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Austria. foodwatch International, while handled as a separate unit is legally a part of the German foodwatch association. In 2008 they reported that

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

concentrations in German

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

exceeded the permitted levels. An important aspect of Foodwatch's activities consists of investigating manufacturers

claims Claim may refer to: * Claim (legal) * Claim of Right Act 1689 * Claims-based identity * Claim (philosophy) * Land claim * A ''main contention'', see conclusion of law * Patent claim * The assertion of a proposition; see Douglas N. Walton * A ri ...

marketing campaign Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...

s and on packaging. Each year Foodwatch delivers the ''Goldener Windbeutel'' (German)/''Gouden Windei'' (Dutch), given to the product whose packaging is the most

misleading Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

as voted on by visitors to the website. In 2009 the award went to

Actimel Actimel (known as DanActive in the United States and Canada) is a probiotic yogurt-type drink produced by the French company Danone. Actimel earned over €1.4 billion (US$1.8 billion) in retail sales in 2006. History Actimel was invented in ...

. In the 2012 campaign, Foodwatch criticized Becel pro-active, a

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

product which is supposed to lower the

risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environm ...

of coronary disease. Foodwatch demanded Unilever stop selling the product, leading to considerable scrutiny of the product and countercriticism by the manufacturer.

References

External links

Foodwatch web page
{{Authority control Consumer rights organizations Organisations based in Berlin Organizations established in 2002 2002 establishments in Germany