Italy has won a helpful verdict from the European Commission over British health warnings on food.
The British "traffic light" system against obesity labels food according to fat, salt and sugar content, using green for healthy food, amber for moderately healthy and red for unhealthy.
Italians believe this discriminates against some of their traditional products, such as prosciutto, salami and cheeses.
They argue that the system is misleading “nonsense”when a can of diet cola gets a green code while Parmesan and other products are labelled red and amber due to salt and fat content.
The European Commission eventually ruled that the coloured warning system is “simplistic” and could “in certain instances create a misconception for consumers”.
The UK counters that the system is voluntary, "fully legally compliant with EU food law" and based on more than a decade's worth of anti-obesity research.
The UK now has two months to respond to Italy’s complaints.
In a certain way, the row pits against each other the need to fight obesity and the right to trade and export.
