Regional claims 2026: when is “local” misleading?

Example: An egg farm advertises its eggs as “from domestic production”, although the eggs actually come from farms more than 200 km away. This can be misleading under Section 5 UWG and the EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825).

Rule of thumb (consumer understanding): Consumers generally understand “domestic” and “regional” to mean a certain proximity — as a rough guide, a radius of around 100 km is often cited. There is no fixed kilometre limit in law; what matters is the consumer understanding in the individual case. If the expected proximity is significantly exceeded without clear clarification, the advertising can be misleading under § 5 UWG (German Act Against Unfair Competition).

Practical impact: As a rough guide, using “regional” without definition is risky from around 50 km onwards and regularly at risk of a warning letter from around 100 km. What matters is whether the spatial origin is stated concretely and verifiably — for example through details such as “from Bavaria” or “from the Black Forest”.

Industry transfer: This rule of thumb applies analogously to food (all categories), handcrafted products, furniture & wood goods, and tourist services.

Substantiated vs. unsubstantiated (examples): A blanket origin statement such as “regional” is difficult to verify without spatial specification; concretely located statements such as “Manufactured in [Federal State]”, “From within a 50 km radius of [City]”, “Swabian production, components from DE/AT/CH” or “Made in [Place] with materials from the region” by contrast name a verifiable origin (examples illustrating the legal position).