European Court rules on vegetarian meat-name dispute
Notable news: the European Court of Justice has ruled that a ban on using meat names for vegetarian products may not be introduced. The French government wanted to ban names such as “burger” and “sausage” for plant-based products, but the Court does not allow this. Unless very specific conditions are met—but that turns out to be quite difficult.
In short, this means that names such as ‘vegetarian chicken‘, ‘vegetarian burger’ or ‘vegetarian steak’ may continue to exist. The case was brought by, among others, the European Vegetarian Union (EVU). They believe that meat names should indeed be allowed on vegetarian products. The Dutch Vegetarian Association is also affiliated with the EVU. The case now returns to the French Council of State, after which a final decision will follow.
Vegetarian chicken, burger or sausage
Back in 2021, the French government drafted a decree that would ban meat names on plant-based products. The EVU and other parties (including meat-substitute producer Beyond Meat) considered this to be contrary to EU rules, leading to the proceedings before the European Court.
There are several reasons behind the decision of the European Court of Justice. The Court emphasized that there are already sufficient EU rules to protect consumers in this area. Member States may therefore not simply impose additional rules determining how much plant-based protein a product must contain to be allowed to carry a particular name. Banning an animal-derived name on a vegetarian product would moreover only be permitted if a country establishes a specific legal name for an animal-based product. France, for example, would have to define in great detail exactly what a ‘sausage’ is. But this may differ greatly between countries in cultural and linguistic terms; a German sausage, for example, may differ from a sausage from France. This is confusing for both producers and consumers and can cause problems. And as long as no legal designation exists, using these names for plant-based products is not prohibited.
The Court’s no-nonsense conclusion
Rafael Pinto, EU policy manager at the EVU, is pleased with the ‘no-nonsense conclusion of the European Court’. According to him, the ruling protects consumers and safeguards the integrity of the internal market. In other words, Pinto says the decision ensures that the European Union’s internal market can continue to function properly and fairly.
Perhaps the French should take a look at our Vegetarian Butcher. Maybe they’ll soon have ‘Poulet Stuckjes’ in the refrigerated section too. Or ‘Little Willies’. At least they can have a bit of fun with it as well.
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