The French government has this week published a decree that will ban the use of meat-related terms, such as ‘ham’ and ‘steak,’ in the labelling of plant-based meat alternative products.
The decree was originally published in 2022, but was suspended following a complaint from Protéines France, an industry consortium of plant-based and alternative protein companies.
Now, a revised version has been published detailing a long list of meat-related terms that will be prohibited in the labelling of plant-based meat alternatives.
Prohibited terms include ‘ham,’ ‘steak,’ ‘escalope,’ ‘tendon,’ and ‘entrecote’ among others. These words, defined in the decree as relating to the names and groups of animal species, animal morphology or anatomy, will now be banned in the description, marketing and promotion of processed products containing vegetable proteins in France.
A second list within the decree highlights words that may be used to describe food products of animal origin that do not replace animal products, but may contain plant proteins within their ingredients.
It sets out the maximum proportion of plant proteins that may be used in such products using these terms – for example, products using the name ‘bacon’ must contain a maximum of 0.5% vegetable protein content, 3% for ‘chicken breast’ and 5% for ‘terrine’.
The decree includes a clause stating that products that are manufactured or marketed in another member state of the European Union or in a third country are exempt from the ban.
It will be brought into effect three months after its publication, after which time companies will be given up to a year to sell any products that were manufactured and labelled with the banned terms before the decree came into force. Breach of the restrictions will be punishable by maximum fines of €1,500 for individuals and €7,500 for companies.
Martin Habfast and Tristan Maurel, co-founders of French plant-based meat brand Umiami, told The Plant Base that they are “dismayed” by the introduction of the legislation.
They commented: “The French government had been championing innovation and the promotion of plant-based alternatives within the market. However, this development serves as a setback to the progress made by French food companies and manufacturers striving to offer sustainable and healthier meat alternatives.”
“Our dedication lies in local production and economic development, driven by our pride in our expertise. Yet, this places us at a disadvantage compared to foreign competitors who aren’t bound by the same standards of transparency and precision.”
Animal agri-food organisations in the country have been calling for tighter restrictions on the labelling of plant-based alternative protein products for years leading up to the ban, claiming that the use of ‘meaty’ terms is confusing and misleading for consumers.
However, many plant-based industry players have spoken out against this, including ProVeg International. The company’s global CEO, Jasmijn de Boo, said that the decree is a “hugely disappointing and backward” development, adding: “Consumers are not confused by the use of meaty names for plant-based foods”.
She emphasised that the government should be encouraging the consumption of “healthy, climate-friendly and animal-friendly food,” and that France should actively support the plant-based market’s growth through measures such as subsidies, research funding and public procurement contracts for alternative proteins.
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