Final Word from Thursday, July 20, 2017
Even if it was a shameless campaign gimmick, Agriculture Min. Marian Jurečka did consumers a service by exposing the business practices of Dr. Oetker, Henkel, Mars, P&G and other multinationals. He raised awareness of the issue of different products or ingredients sold under the same name in different countries. As is often the case in politics, though, the next step got out of control. PM Bohuslav Sobotka didn't want to be shown up by Jurečka or Slovak PM Robert Fico, so he demanded that product labeling be regulated by Brussels. This would of course hurt Czech exporters far more than multinationals. Why don't Sobotka and Jurečka start within their own jurisdiction? Why not take swift, decisive action against companies that cheat customers by mislabeling their products? Or against product tests that are rigged by the testers? If consumers had accurate information about products and their quality, they could make up their own minds about what to buy. [Czech Republic Proctor & Gamble Persil M&M's Master Foods]
Glossary of difficult words
gimmick - a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or trade;
to show someone up - to surpass someone, as in ability, intelligence or performance;
to mislabel - to label incorrectly;
to rig - to manage or conduct something fraudulently to achieve a predetermined outcome.