Selling foodstuff online – which laws regulations apply?
Shopping online. It´s no news to our everydaylife. We all have placed an order at least once: clothes, decos, office material… meat! Yes, you read it right. Meat. This is the case of an interesting German tribunal decision. Let´s have a look at it.
28U 53/19 Tribunal Decision from 25.06.2020
With the products of its website, a 72 years old is trying to keep his little online business on the go. He is selling every kind of products on its homepage, including also ham, and bacon “a little piece of South Tyrol, sun, nature”. The products offered online are stored at his apartment. Everything. Also the meat products.
Which legal regulations apply?
When the food inspectors of the public health department and the police inspected the home of the homepage operator, they discovered who else had taken advantage of the hospitality: Small animals felt as comfortable as maggots in bacon in the smoked food, which was open, packed and deposited in boxes in the living room, the bedroom and the garage. Now the not so successfull online seller has to answer to the court for violating the German Food Act.
Food online shopping means that the provenance of the food as to be approved from the german public health department. Be carefull and always check the origin of the food you ordered online.