olate manufacturer Alfred Ritter, better known by the Ritter Sport brand, is planning to launch legal proceedings against a consumer organization who rated its one of its products negatively. It is well known across Europe that the ratings given out by Stiftung Warentest can often leave a sour taste in the mouthes of some companies, and a spokesperson for Ritter Sport confirmed to Spiegel Online that it is preparing legal action on foot of one such review.
Over the past week, Stiftung Warentest lablled Ritter Sport's full-nut advertised chocolate bar as "poor", because, contrary to package information, it contained the chemically produced flavoring agent piperonal.
Ritter Sport was outraged over the review and pointed toward a guarantee given by its flavoring manufacturer Symrise, that only natural ingredients are used.
"We have delivered a precursor, which completely corresponds to the declaration. These are only natural flavors, and we can prove that too," said a Symrise spokesperson.
Warentest defended their review process today. "We do not deny that piperonal occurs in nature," said the head of the test, Birgit Rehlender.
"But the traces of which are found in plants are never enough to industrially produce tradable amounts of it."
