| Foodwatch | |
| Founded Date: | 2002 |
| Founder: | Thilo Bode |
| Location: | Berlin |
| Key People: | Jörg Rohwedder, president |
| Area Served: | Europe |
| Focus: | Consumer rights |
Foodwatch is a European advocacy group that focuses on protecting consumer rights[1] as they pertain to food quality.[2] The organization was founded in October 2002 in Berlin by former Greenpeace executive director Thilo Bode.[3] [4], the organization is active in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Austria.[5] Foodwatch International, while handled as a separate unit, is legally a part of the German foodwatch association.[6]
In 2008, the organization reported that uranium concentrations in German tap water exceeded the permitted levels.[7]
An important aspect of Foodwatch's activities consists of investigating manufacturer claims in marketing campaigns and on packaging. Each year Foodwatch delivers the Goldener Windbeutel (German)/Gouden Windei (Dutch), given to the product whose packaging is the most misleading, as voted on by visitors to the website. In 2009 the award went to Actimel.[8] In the 2012 campaign, Foodwatch criticized Becel pro-active, a Unilever product which is supposed to lower the risk of coronary disease. Foodwatch demanded Unilever stop selling the product,[9] leading to considerable scrutiny of the product and countercriticism by the manufacturer.[10]