By Canadian Press

Federal Court orders ‘Product of Israel’ labels off of West Bank wines

Jul 29, 2019 | 11:17 AM

OTTAWA — A new Federal Court ruling calls it misleading and deceptive to characterize wines from the West Bank as “products of Israel.”

The decision, out today, marks the latest twist in a politically charged three-year-old battle over whether bottles from the Psagot Winery and Shiloh Winery in the West Bank should carry a “Product of Israel” label.

The ruling requires the Canada Food Inspection Agency to decide how the wines should be labelled.

The agency initially stripped the wines of the label in July 2017 after a formal complaint, but then reversed course shortly afterward following an outcry from some Jewish groups.

The ruling says none of the parties and interveners in the case consider the West Bank to be territory of the state of Israel, which means the labels are inaccurate.

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The court goes on to say that not labelling the wines as products of the West Bank interferes with the ability of Canadians to make informed decisions as consumers, particularly if they wish to “buy conscientiously.”

The Canadian Press