The production of Csíki Csipsz had to be stopped because the Romanian authorities considered the packaging insufficient. They started to investigate the chips because on the packaging of 33 products, Szeklerland is indicated as the place of production and not Romania. This is not the first time that the Szekler manufacturer has clashed with the Romanian authorities.
This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.
The immediate stop was ordered following a complaint by Romanian far-right activist Dan Tanasă, the company announced on its Facebook page. The measure affects 33 products.
Romanian authorities have also ordered Csíki Beer Manufactory to change its name from Szeklerland to Romania. Both companies in Szeklerland are appealing the decision and will not stop production and distribution, the companies said.
It is not the first case that caused a lot of stir and political controversy. In 2017, Csíki Beer Manufactory was sued by Heineken Brewery through its local subsidiary over the name “Real Csíki Beer,” or “Igazi Csíki Sör” in Hungarian (the case already lasted three years at that point, with Csíki getting justice twice and the court in Târgu Mures finally ruling against them). Heineken produces and distributes a beer called Ciuc (Csíki in Romanian) and therefore sued. András Lénárd, the founder and co-owner of the company, was able to cleverly circumvent the unfavorable ruling in business terms by marketing his product, which was deemed problematic, for example under the name “Real Banned Beer.”
The parties eventually reached an agreement and ceased all litigation, with Csíki abandoning the adjective “real” in the name of its products.
Sources: MTI, Forbes
Featured image via the Facebook page of the Csíki Csipsz
