BERLIN: Beer cannot be marketed as beneficial, a German top court ruled on Thursday after a consumer rights group sued a brewery on the basis that its advertisement falsely suggested the beer had health benefits. The German Federal Court of Justice upheld a lower court finding that the word could not be used in advertisement for beverages containing more than 1.2 percent alcohol. The German court said bekoemmlich, which does not have a direct English translation but would be something akin to “wholesome“, described more than the taste of the beer. “The term ‘bekoemmlich’ is understood by the relevant public to mean ‘healthy’, ‘beneficial’ and ‘digestible’,” the court said. The European Union’s highest court ruled in 2012 that the same word could not be used to market wine.

Source: New Strait Times May 17, 2018 15:45 UTC