Reuters – France will ban the use of meat names like “steak” and “sausage” on plant-based protein food, according to a decree published June 29, in a bid to avoid confusion over the trendy meat alternatives.
France is the first country in the European Union to impose such a restriction. In 2020, EU lawmakers rejected a similar proposal, backed by farmers.
The market for plant-based meat-like food has surged, attracting investment from global agri-food groups hoping to capitalize on a trend toward healthy eating, including less red meat.
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“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 because it left the door open to imports.
French meat industry association Interbev welcomed 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.
Terms including “milk”, “butter” and “cheese” are already banned at the European level on products that are not of animal origin.
