French authorities are once again attempting to limit the use of meat terms such as “steak” and “ham” to designate plant products. This is reported by Reuters, citing a decree from the French government.
A new document lists 21 names of meat products that producers of plant-based alternatives will no longer be able to use. However, burgers are not included in this list, the agency clarifies.
The decree will come into effect three months after its publication.
“The growing market for plant proteins is causing discontent among French meat producers, who are already facing ongoing losses due to fierce competition from cheaper imported meat,” Reuters reports.
The head of the Interbev Meat Industry Association, Jean-François Guiard, supported the initiative, emphasizing that “it is currently extremely important to clearly distinguish between processed plant products and traditional meat products.”
However, the French company La Vie, which produces plant proteins, opposed these changes. The company stated that the previous labeling did not mislead consumers. The ban on the use of certain terms, in their opinion, creates unfair competition conditions between French producers of plant alternatives and similar imported products, for which such a ban does not currently exist.
It is worth noting that this is not the first attempt by French authorities to limit the use of meat names for plant products. In 2022, France became the first country in the European Union to ban such names for plant alternatives. However, this ban was short-lived: the country's Supreme Administrative Court deemed the restrictions “too vague” and “not providing companies with sufficient time” to adapt to the new rules. The decree's action was suspended, and a decision from the European Court is now awaited.
Nevertheless, similar bans on dairy products have been in effect throughout the European Union since 2020. The use of the terms “milk,” “butter,” and “cheese” to designate products that do not have animal origins is prohibited.
