The British Brands Group says it is “deeply disappointed” with the Government’s decision not to allow for the right to private civil enforcement in the implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive as outlined in its response to the consultation on draft consumer protection from unfair trading regulations.
According to the BBG, “the UK Government has missed the best opportunity in 10 years to protect consumers from misleading packaging. We now call on the OFT and Trading Standards to demonstrate that they have the capacity to deal with cases of misleading packaging in a prompt and efficient manner and that this serious consumer issue will be given necessary priority by these departments.”
The BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) decision to drop the right to private civil enforcement under the UCP Directive is said to leave the UK alone in the EU as the only country not having effective means of private action against misleading packaging.
