The French government banned the use of the name “meat” on the labels of vegetarian products, the Dutch portal Nieuwe Oogst reported on February 27.
Now, for example, the term “steak” can only be used to refer to meat products. Other terms that should no longer be used for vegan foods include schnitzel, ham, filet, and steak.
The ban follows a long-standing complaint from the meat industry that terms such as vegetarian ham or vegan sausage could confuse consumers. Under a 2020 French law, the use of meat names for vegetarian products was already prohibited. The law was temporarily suspended by the Council of State in June 2022 following a complaint from Protéines France, a consortium of French companies selling plant-based products.
Some products that contain only small amounts of plant material may still use the name meat. In addition, producers from other European Union (EU) countries can continue to sell vegetarian foods under meat names in France. Protéines France believes that French legislation violates EU food regulations.
People who violate the labeling law can be fined up to 1,500 euros (150,000 rubles), and companies – up to 7,500 euros (750,000 rubles). Manufacturers have one year to sell existing stock before sanctions are imposed.
The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee previously proposed abolishing the use of meat-related words for plant-based products. The European Parliament voted against this proposal in 2020.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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