16.6.2014   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 184/16

1.

Is the basis for calculating the ‘equivalent value for salt’ of the quantity of sodium present in a foodstuff, for the purposes of the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, (1) constituted only by the quantity of sodium which, when associated with chloride ions, forms sodium chloride, or table salt, or does it include the total quantity of sodium in all its forms contained in the foodstuff?

2.

In the latter case, do Article 2(1) of Directive 2000/13/EC and Article 9(1) and (2) of Directive 2009/54/EC, (2) together with Annex III to the latter directive, read in the light of the equivalence established between sodium and salt in the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, infringe the first subparagraph of Article 6(1) of the Treaty on the European Union, read with Article 11(1) (freedom of expression and information) and Article 16 (freedom to conduct a business) of the Charter of Fundamental Freedoms of the European Union, and Article 19 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, by prohibiting a distributor of mineral water from placing on his labels and advertising material any indication as to the low salt content or sodium chloride content, which could be that of his product that is high in sodium bicarbonate, inasmuch as that indication would be likely to mislead the purchaser in regard to the total sodium content of the water?’