The European Commission (EC) has put forward a list of 29 ‘meat’ terms under proposals to ban their use in marketing of plant-based alternatives.
The proposal revisits a similar ban rejected five years ago and follows a European Court of Justice ruling in October after France re-attempted to ban local manufacturers from using meat-related descriptors for plant-based products.
Meat, the EC now says, means “exclusively the edible parts of an animal”.
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In a document published this week, the EC said: “Specific legal provisions should be introduced to protect meat-related terms in order to enhance transparency in the internal market as regards food composition and nutritional content and ensure that consumers can make well-informed choices, particularly for those seeking a specific nutritional content that is traditionally associated with meat products.”
The 29-strong list features names of items such as beef, pork, chicken, and bacon, as well as less indirect terms such as ribs, drumsticks and wings.
Currently, plant-based products can use these terms in the EU if they clearly indicate that the product is an alternative and contains no meat.
The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) argues that existing legislation already provides “sufficient” consumer protection and transparency.
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By GlobalDataThe EVU expressed surprise at the EC’s change in priorities and went on to say that with all the “real issues currently faced by European agriculture, there are surely more important policies to focus on”.
It cited a 2020 study by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) that found up to 80% of consumers believe traditional denominations should be allowed if the plant-based nature is clear.
“In fact, the regulation lays out precisely the rules for food products in which a component or ingredient that consumers expect to be normally used or naturally present has been substituted with a different component or ingredient,” the association said.
The EVU operates as an umbrella organisation for vegan and vegetarian society groups spread across more than 20 countries.
“We have abundant data from several EU countries showing that consumers are not confused by the use of these terms and are not buying plant-based products by accident,” Rafael Pinto, the senior policy manager at the EVU, said in a statement. “This proposal has nothing to do with consumer protection and transparency.
“Artificially restricting the use of meat terms would be a waste of public resources and an undue restriction of European entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Besides going “against the simplification agenda”, the EVU argued that restrictions on the use of such terms could also hinder European competitiveness and the single market by introducing new rules for companies.
