France Bans Meat Names for Plant-Based Products

Have you ever come across products referred to as 'plant-based sausages' or 'vege-steaks'? It turns out that in France you will no longer find such named meat substitutes. It is the first country in the European Union to introduce such a ban.

pixabay

Increasingly, we can find a wide range of meatless products on store shelves. Some of them resemble meat, but do not contain it. Often such products are distinguished by a name such as vegetarian or plant-based. This way we can be sure that the ingredients of these products are of plant origin.

Plant-based meat substitutes are mainly consumed by people who don't eat meat or want to limit it. For many people, it is a tasty alternative to meat. Besides, such products often look, for example, like a real sausage. In addition, they are produced in such a way that they have a similar taste, aroma and texture to their meat counterparts.

Many argue that the names "burger" or "steak" when referring to plant-based substitutes can be misleading. As a result, France has introduced a new ban on the names of plant-based meat substitutes. Starting October 1, 2022, names such as sausage, steak, or chop will be reserved only for specific meat products. This means that meat-related terminology will not be allowed to be used for plant-based foods.

French meat industry representatives are hoping that other European Union countries will also impose such ban. However, there is no indication of this - the European Parliament rejected a similar proposal in 2020.

It is worth pointing out that information about the plant origin of products is always on the package. Therefore, the argument of confusion is nothing but a veiled concern of the meat industry, which is seeing an unstoppable growth of plant-based substitutes in the market share.

Nowadays, reducing meat consumption is getting more and more publicity. Some people give up animal products completely. They say, among other things, to the fact that industrial animal farming contributes to destruction of the environment. In addition, mass "production" of meat causes great suffering to animals. Consequently, the animals are condemned to a painful and short life.