European Union is proposing a prohibition on the use of labels such as sausage or burger in vegan or vegetarian food. The argument is that these words are traditionally used for animal-based foodstuffs and cannot be used on plant based products.
According to the new proposal vegan or vegetarian food producers cannot use words such as ‘sausage’ or ‘milk alternative’ in naming their products. Some say that it could also mean vegan and vegetarian food cannot be labelled as ‘veggie burgers’ and ‘seitan steaks’.
Many groups in EU such as ProVeg are challenging the proposal already as they see it as ‘disadvantaging’ vegan and vegetarian food manufacturers, as well as consumers who prefer non-meat and non-dairy alternatives. They also claim that inclusion of burger or sausage words in a vegetarian product is critical in highlighting the flavour or texture of certain products.
Although still at the proposal stage and not a law yet, it can impact plant based products that are becoming more popular in the EU, as many consumers want alternatives to meat based products. As the proposal gets ratified at a plenary meeting of the European Parliament this year, ProVeg, the European Vegetarian Union and the Good Food Institute Europe are looking at a viable solution that doesn’t interfere with the interests of both consumers and producers, but supports plant-based foods as sustainable and fair alternatives.
Find out more about plant based foods at
CMT’s Food Proteins EUROPE on 17-18 October, 2019 in Copenhagen. Learn more about the program from Ms. Hafizah - email
hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg or call +65 6346 9218.
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