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EU rules that meat labeling is legal, is this the end of the plant-based war?

Published Oct 8, 2024

Tridge summary

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that plant-based food products can continue to use names that mimic their meat counterparts, overturning a French law that had banned such terms. The case was brought by vegetarian associations due to concerns that these labels could mislead consumers. The ruling is a victory for the plant-based industry, as it removes a potential barrier to growth and competition against meat products. The article also discusses similar labeling issues in Brazil, where regulations are being proposed to prevent consumer confusion while allowing the use of descriptive terms.
Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on Friday (4) that plant-based foods such as burgers and sausages can continue to be labeled with names that mimic their meat counterparts, in a bitter dispute that has lasted more than three years. The case was brought to court by the Vegetarian Association of France (AVF) and the European Vegetarian Union, after a 2022 French national law banned the use of meat-related terms such as “burger,” “wings” or “steak” to market plant-based products. Lawmakers argued that terms such as “plant-based burger” could mislead consumers into believing that plant-based products have the same nutritional value as meat or that they contain meat. According to the CJEU, what would make the French law illegal under EU regulations is the fact that not all “meat-friendly” terms are defined as legal names; many are instead considered descriptive. In a similar case from 2017, but with an opposite verdict, the CJEU ruled that non-dairy products ...
Source: Beefpoint

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