France bans meat names on vegetarian products

The ban follows a long-standing complaint from the meat industry that terms such as vegetarian ham or vegan sausage were confusing to consumers. A 2020 French law already banned the use of meat names for vegetarian products. That law was temporarily suspended by the Council of State in June 2022 after a complaint from Protéines France, a consortium of French companies that sell plant-based food. Some products that contain only a small amount of vegetable content may continue to use meat names, such as merguez sausages or cordon bleu. Producers from other European Union (EU) countries will also be allowed to continue selling vegetarian foods with meat names in France. Protéines France believes that French law conflicts with EU food rules. Fine Individuals who violate the labeling law can be fined up to 1,500 euros, rising to 7,500 euros for companies. Producers have a year to sell their existing stocks before sanctions are imposed. In the Netherlands, product names of meat ...