Several consumer unions have joined a group of businesses within the Spanish seafood supply chain in calling for restricted labelling on plant-based seafood products.
The organisations involved in the initiative include the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA), the International Frozen Seafood Exhibition (Conxemar), seafood wholesaler Interfish, and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds among others.
Consumer organisations the Galicia Consumer Union, the Euskadi Consumer Union, the Cantabria Consumer Union and the ConsumES Confederation have confirmed they will join the project that integrates 20 organisations from the seafood sector.
In a statement, the organisations said they believe plant-based seafood products ‘do not comply with the obligation to convey clear information to the consumer’ and are ‘likely to confuse them in relation to the food itself, its ingredients and properties’.
They plan to join the SAFE Group Advocacy Europe to jointly launch a regulation proposal before the European authorities, calling for less ‘misleading’ labelling on plat-based products that seek to imitate fish and seafood.
According to the organisations, they believe that describing certain ‘oceanic flavours’ or displaying visuals that refer to the sea when ingredients of this origin are not included can lead to confusion when consumers are making purchasing decisions.
However, vice president of ConsumES, Miguel López Crespo, expressed that the group is “also concerned about the damage that this type of product can cause to our seafood and aquaculture products,” suggesting seafood companies feel that plant-based seafood alternatives are a threat to their business.
He stated, however, that the regulation proposal is being put forward on the basis of “poor consumer information and the need for regulation of the labelling of vegan and vegetarian food”.
The labelling of plant-based meat and seafood has continued to pose challenges for businesses within these categories in Europe and beyond.
Austrian alt-seafood start-up Revo Foods faced legal action after claims that its plant-based smoked salmon product could mislead consumers, despite being labelled as vegan on the packaging. However, the company announced that the lawsuit had been dismissed earlier this year, with CEO Robin Simsa commenting that any accusation of deception was ‘unjustified’.
