Following the publication of the sectorial Guidelines for the voluntary indication of the origin of dairy products, the European Dairy Association (EDA) is proud to issue today its new sectorial Guidelines on the principles and enforcement of the Protection of Dairy Terms.

EDA is proud to issue its new ® Guidelines on the principles and enforcement of the Protection of Dairy Terms. The new publication takes place one year after the ECJ “TofuTown” judgement in which the EU Court ruled that purely plant-based products cannot be marketed with designations such as ‘milk’, ‘cream’, ‘butter’, ‘cheese’ or ‘yoghurt’, which EU law reserves for animal products.

The new dairy industry guidelines intend to address the use and misuse of protected definitions, designations and sales descriptions of milk and milk products within the European Single Market and to serve as a tool to facilitate their enforcement at national level.

The document details the legislative architecture and analyses the legal conclusions of the relevant ECJ rulings so as to draw a clear picture of the objectives and the rules that form the basis for the protection of dairy terms in the EU.