Plant-based foods may soon have to watch their language. The European Union is in the final stages of passing legislation that will restrict the use of certain meat-related terms on the labels of plant-based foods. The proposal could create legal uncertainty without delivering tangible benefits for farmers, says the European Vegetarian Union’s Senior Policy Manager Rafael Pinto.
Speaking to EU Perspectives, Mr Pinto said the emerging EU legislation’s intention is driven by wider political dynamics within the European agricultural debate.
The push for the legislation stems from a deal struck between EU negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on a range of reforms to agricultural market rules under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. The deal includes measures to protect the use of a list of meat-related names, including names linked with specific cuts of meat. These names would be restricted in their use to products that contain such meat.
More symbolism, less protection
The EVU examined the consumer research data that underpins the EU’s arguments for this measure. “The data is clear, and consumers are not confused,” said Mr Pinto. “Consumers love the terms on plant-based food. For years, consumers have been telling policymakers that they love tenderloin-style vegetarian foods, and they want more of it.
“To be blunt, no farmer will earn more money because plant-based foods can no longer use terms such as ‘tenderloin’ or ‘liver’,” stressed Mr Pinto. “This is simply a symbolic victory for policymakers who want to present themselves as standing with farmers.”
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“The reality is that EU legislation already allows for the current situation, as a ruling by the European Court of Justice has already said. So the claim by those pushing for this change—that they need it for consumer protection—is really just a symbolic gesture; a political one within the wider agricultural debate in Europe.”— Rafael Pinto, senior policy manager at EVU
Mr Pinto said there are several areas where legal questions are likely to arise once this legislation is finalised by the EU. This includes how the list of words is translated into other EU languages, how the list is interpreted, how it is enforced, and how it relates to hybrid products and products using meat-flavours.
Regulatory uncertainties
The EVU sees this regulation as conflicting with other efforts by the EU to encourage protein diversification to lower the environmental impact of food production. Mr Pinto argued the regulation undermines the EU’s competitiveness, innovation and simplification agenda.
For decades the food industry has used descriptions such as ‘bacon-flavoured crisps’ or ‘chicken-flavoured noodles’, relying on classic cuts of meat to create simple ways of describing flavour profiles that end consumers associate with animal-based ingredients. — Rafael Pinto
The EVU proposed introducing EU-wide legal definitions for vegetarian and vegan products, alongside greater use of environmental and nutritional labelling. Mr Pinto said these alternatives would be better aligned with consumer demands.
Managing a transition
Overall, Mr Pinto admitted to a sense within the EVU that the dispute over plant-based product terms highlights challenges in managing wider transitions in Europe’s food system. “This legislation reflects a certain attitude towards farmers,” he said. “A lot could be done in terms of a Just Transition Fund to support farmers in diversifying their crops into foods used in plant-based products,” the EVU manager noted.
The EVU feels that unless farmers are better supported with policy measures like these, rather than being hindered by symbolic regulations that limit plant-based food labelling terms, the transition of Europe’s food system will be slowed rather than managed.
