censorship

blackpudding Plenty Reasons

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Politics & Law

Polish Ministry of Agriculture Drafts Decree to Censor Plant-Based Meat Labelling

Article update 12/12: “We have been informed that the Ministry has extended the consultation, de facto dropping the issue to a future government. The Ministry is aware of how strong the lobby and the meat industry are and they know that the future government will have a difficult nut to crack, as the Ministry will be handed over to the PSL (Polish People’s Party). At the same time, the industry is already talking about extending the ban to other products. It is also an interesting moment as negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027 are already starting at EU level. This could mean that a future European Parliament and the European Commission, being more conservative, could return to the famous AM165.” The Polish Ministry …

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Rawesome Canadian Lawsuit

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Politics & Law

Canada: Animal Justice Will Intervene in Gov’t Labelling Lawsuit Targeting Rawesome Vegan Cheese

Canadian animal law advocacy group Animal Justice announces it has been granted intervener status in a court case concerning the ability of plant–based food brand Rawesome to use the term “cheese” on its product labels.  In 2021, the city of Montreal filed charges against the brand, which produces a popular line of cashew-based cream cheeses, alleging its use of the term “cheese” could mislead consumers and should only describe foods made with cow dairy milk. However, Rawesome and Animal Justice counter that the brand’s packaging is not confusing, as it cleary states the products contain no dairy. Rawesome is now suing the federal and provincial governments to challenge the constitutionality of the Food and Drugs Act’s decades-old regulations that limit the terms “milk” and “cheese” …

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vegan cheese

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Politics & Law

Plant-Based Cheese Production and Sales Facing Unprecedented Ban in Turkey

Vegan cheese producers and consumers in Turkey are facing a government ban on sales and production following an unprecedented law by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The Vegan Association of Turkey has now filed a lawsuit against the ministry looking to overturn the latest in a line of plant-based censorship rulings.  According to the Vegan Association of Turkey, article 9/3 added to the Turkish Food Codex Regulation writes that: “Products giving the impression of [dairy] cheese cannot be produced using vegetable/plant-based oil or other food ingredients.” The pretense behind the ban is “to prevent adulteration”, but any product that is considered to resemble conventional cheese, but does not even contain the word cheese in its name or marketing, can be sanctioned.  Vegan cheese …

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France Flag

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Politics & Law

“Delusional”: France Becomes First Country to Ban Plant-Based Meat Terms 

France will ban the use of meat names such as “steak” and “sausage” on plant-based foods from October, according to a new decree published yesterday. The ruling claims to avoid confusion for consumers, however, the law was heavily backed by the French meat industry and the country’s largest farming lobby.  France becomes the first country in the European Union to impose such restrictions on sustainable meat alternatives, which have surged in popularity around the globe. Commonly used product descriptions like “bacon” or “chicken” will now be banned for plant-based items, although the word “burger” would still be allowed as it apparently does not specifically refer to meat. Strangely, the law will only apply to French producers for now and not imports, placing a stranglehold on …

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