A German court has banned supermarket chain Aldi from selling Dubai chocolate, saying the popular chocolate can only be called by that name if it is actually made in the United Arab Emirates.
A court in Cologne has ruled that the famous German supermarket Aldi can no longer sell “Alyan Dubai Handmade Chocolate” because the product is actually made in Turkey.
The supermarket chain claimed that this was clearly stated on the back of the label, but the court concluded that the product name could lead customers “to believe that the product was actually made in Dubai and imported into Germany.”
The lawsuit was filed by German confectionery importer Andreas Wilmers, who sells Dubai chocolate “Fix” in Dubai. In December, Wilmers filed similar lawsuits against Lidl and Swiss chocolate maker Lindt, but the trial is still ongoing.
Lidl argued that the term “Dubai Chocolate” refers only to a type of chocolate with creamy pistachios and a “kadif” filling, and not to chocolate originating in Dubai. The Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) also argued that “Dubai Chocolate” could be produced anywhere in the world.
The Cologne court disagreed, but Aldi still has the right to appeal.