A leading baby food brand is to relaunch one of its products after jars sold in eastern Europe were found to contain a lower proportion of vegetables and an omega-3 source compared with the identically branded product sold in the west.

The new study, supervised by the Croatian Food Agency, reports finding a “significant difference” in the composition between the jar of HiPP baby food on sale in Croatia and in Germany.

About 38% of HiPP’s “bio-rice with carrot and turkey” product sold in Germany was made up of carrot and potato, with a further 15% rice. In the Croatian market, the study found the only vegetable present was carrot (24%), while rice accounted for 21% of the baby food.

There was also a reported difference in colour, taste and aroma – and a differing amount of rapeseed oil (1.9% against 1.7%), a source of omega-3 fatty acids that are beneficial to a child’s growth.

The test comes amid accusations by the European commission that multinational companies have “cheated and misled” shoppers in eastern Europe for years by selling them inferior products that bear the same branding as those found in the west.

A spokesperson for HiPP baby food said the ingredients of the product were clearly marked on the jars, but added: “Due to the current public discussion about different recipes in European countries, we learned that this proceeding could lead to misinterpretations which we regret very much. In consequence, we assessed the recipe of HiPP Rice with Carrots and Turkey in terms of potential equalisations, and will relaunch it with an adapted recipe which is equal to the German one during the next few months.”

The spokesperson explained the company had in recent years adapted its recipe in Germany “to meet local preferences”, but had not followed suit in Croatia.

“Due to changes in the Germans’ consumer demands regarding its consistency, the article was adapted several years ago in Germany,” she said. “In Croatia, the original recipe was very popular because of its particularly simple composition, which is why it was not changed at that time.”

Test results from a Croatian Food Agency survey.

The baby food test was part a wider report which follows similar surveys in Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. The Croatian study, to be presented to the European parliament’s committee on internal market and consumer protection on Thursday, found that a series of brands were selling products of differing ingredients – and allegedly different quality – in the east and west, including Nutella and Ariel detergent.

The Nutella in Croatia contained whey powder and a lower percentage of skimmed milk powder (6.6%), while the product from Germany contained only skimmed milk powder (7.5%). There was a significant difference in colour and in the spreadability of the product, “confirmed by physical and chemical analyses”, with the Croatian product being more difficult to spread at the same temperature.

The study also found that an Ariel detergent on the German market was significantly more efficient in washing at low temperatures (40C) than a similar Croatian product. The difference was also present at 60C, although less pronounced.

Biljana Borzan, the Croation MEP who instigated and funded the survey, said she had been particularly disappointed by the difference in the baby food product, which she claimed amounted to a breach of faith with the consumer.

“This is a really sad example,” Borzan said. “We also found in Coca-Cola that the ingredients are cheaper in Croatia but the price is the same. But you can choose not to drink Coke. With baby food, parents trust in that brand. I was really disappointed.”

Last week, without naming the companies, the European commission’s most senior official responsible for justice and consumer rights, Věra Jourová, told the Guardian she believed there had been “manifest cheating” of consumers for years by multinationals. The European commission will this week publish an interpretation of the current law on misleading customers to help national authorities prosecute those in breach.

Many companies have responded by saying that where differences had been found in similarly branded products, they had been responding to local demand rather than deliberately misleading consumers.

But Borzan was critical of HiPP’s suggestion that its recipe in Croatia was not changed because “the original recipe was very popular”. “Their explanation is ridiculous,” she said. “They said the product is made on the preference of local consumers. I tried to imagine what that survey looked like: did the babies spit it out? Is that how they knew? And I am not sure any baby tested the food and said they wanted less omega-3.”

According to Borzan: “People see this issue in a very emotional way. When I walk my dog, people stop me in the street and say, ‘Please just don’t give up.’ It is not important that a product has more cocoa or what food looks like; it is simply that people don’t like to feel they are second grade. This is very important in a European Union that is very proud of equality.”

A spokesperson for Ferrero, the manufacturer of Nutella, said: “We can reassure everyone that the Nutella sold in Croatia has the same high-quality standards as Nutella sold around the world. As a global company, we have many factories in different countries around the world, but we always guarantee the same care and quality everywhere.”



Procter & Gamble, the makers of Ariel, said its products were different to suit local preferences, but it disputed the Croatian findings. A statement said: “We disagree with the testing approach and reporting of the Ariel products published by the Croatian Food Agency on 1 September 2017. Specifically, the two Ariel powder products tested were designed against different needs, leading to very different formulations.

“Putting different products in a comparative test violates the minimum standard of professional testing, which compares the same product from the same producer … Our commitment to consumers remains to provide them with products that meet and exceed their expectations in every country where we are present.”

HiPP’s spokesperson added: “From our point of view, the German and Croatian recipes can be seen as equal in their composition. To achieve a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, the German one contains rice and potatoes (8%) [while] the Croatian one has a higher amount of rice instead of this. Since the characteristic product properties of the two products are not different, the product image and product name are similar.”