France to ban ‘meat’ names for items made with plants
France plans to ban the use of ‘meat’ names like “steak” and “sausage” on plant-based protein food, according to a new decree, in a bid to avoid confusion over the meat alternatives.
France is the first country in the European Union to make such a move.
The market for plant-based meat-like food has surged in the past few years, attracting major investment from global agri-food groups hoping to capitalise on a trend towards healthy eating generally, including less red meat.
“It will not be possible to use sector-specific terminology traditionally associated with meat and fish to designate products that do not belong to the animal world and which, in essence, are not comparable,” the official decree reads.
The regulation only applies to products made in France, and the country’s largest farm lobby FNSEA said it did not go far enough as it left the door open to imports.
French meat industry association Interbev welcomed the implementation of the law initially adopted in 2020, just after the end of the pandemic lockdown.
“This provision is a first step on French territory, a pioneer in the protection of its names, which should be extended at European level,” it said in a statement.
RTE
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