The Czech government is preparing an amendment that will prevent producers of plant-based products from using terms such as “mushroom schnitzel”, “soy sausage” or “bean burger”.
The amendment has ostensibly been proposed to protect consumers, but ProVeg Czechia argues that it will have the opposite effect. According to the organisation, the proposed legislation will confuse shoppers and harm plant-based companies.
ProVeg claims that the amendment is intended to protect the meat industry rather than consumers, and will disrupt fair competition. The results of a YouGov survey commissioned by ProVeg Czechia confirm that most consumers are in favour of the use of meat-like terms for plant-based foods; 7 out of 10 respondents supported the continued use of names such as “soy sausage” and “vegan schnitzel”, while 8 out of 10 understood that soy sausages do not contain meat.
Significant economic impact
Furthermore, ProVeg Czechia has found no evidence of consumer complaints to the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority regarding the labelling of plant-based products. The organisation argues that European legislation already provides consumers with protection against misleading labelling, meaning no further restrictions are necessary.
The Czech Ministry of Agriculture has been criticised for failing to conduct a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) into the amendment, which is required for regulations with potentially significant impacts. The Ministry claims that the proposed changes will not have a negative impact on the business environment, but ProVeg says there will be a high economic impact for plant-based companies, as well as for food service outlets that will have to change the names of dishes on menus and promotional materials.
For these reasons, ProVeg Czechia has called on the Ministry of Agriculture to abandon the amendment, launching a campaign called Sójovým párkem proti cenzuře (Soy Sausage Against Censorship). Czech consumers, producers, retailers, and the HoReCa sector are invited to express their support by signing a petition opposing the legislation.
“A decree that will harm Czech companies”
It is unclear whether the proposed amendment is even legal; in October, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that EU member states (of which the Czech Republic is one) cannot prohibit using “terms traditionally associated with animal products” for plant-based alternatives, provided the ingredients are clearly shown on labels. The ruling ended France’s attempt to introduce a ban on meat-like terms for plant-based foods.
The proposal of the amendment is somewhat surprising, since the Czech government has previously been supportive of plant-based foods; last year, the Chamber of Deputies hosted a seminar to discuss advancing alternative protein sources.
“We are concerned that the Ministry of Agriculture is jumping on the animal lobby’s whistle and preparing a decree that will harm Czech food companies,” said Martin Ranninger, co-director of ProVeg Czechia. “This decree is in direct contradiction to the government’s program statement, which promises to reduce the bureaucratic burden for companies and tradespeople. We cannot tolerate that the interests of the animal industry are prioritized at the expense of innovative and sustainable plant-based alternatives.”
