Labeling

Beyond Stack Burger_spread

© Beyond Meat

Studies & Numbers

Study: Using More Attractive Names for Plant-Based Dishes Significantly Increases Orders

A new study, conducted by the University of Queensland and published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, has found that giving plant-based dishes more attractive names on restaurant menus could boost sales. According to the research, using adjectives to describe the flavor, texture, and provenance of plant-based meals increases their appeal. For example, descriptions such as “juicy American burger” and “tasty Italian vegetable lasagna” are more appealing than “vegan burger” or “vegetable lasagna”. This effect can be amplified by using blander names for meat-based options. Affordable intervention The study notes that most restaurants currently take the opposite approach, with plant-based dishes named in ways that portray them as healthy but bland and meat-based dishes made to sound tastier. This leads to a lack of …

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Oatly's call for Big Dairy execs to join debate receives just one response

© Mossgiel Organic Farm
Sustainability / Environment

Oatly’s Call for Big Dairy Execs to Join Climate Labelling Debate Receives Just One Response

As part of its campaign calling for climate labelling on all food and drink products in the UK, Oatly recently hosted a debate where it invited a “Big Dairy Executive” to explain their stance on the subject. Despite the spot being open to dairy executives from across the EU, and the 26 million views received by Oatly’s campaign launch video on social media, the company received just one response from the dairy industry — and it wasn’t from an executive. Bryce Cunningham is a farmer from Mossgiel Organic Farm in Ayrshire, Scotland, who told the Daily Record that he “felt that Oatly’s claims were unjustified”. Mossgiel is working to reduce its carbon emissions, with the aim of reaching net zero by December 2025. The farm …

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Montecitorio Palace, seat of Italian parliament

© Gabriele Maltinti-stock.adobe.com
Politics & Law

Italy Withdraws Controversial Bills to Ban Cultivated Meat & Restrict Plant-Based Meat Labels from EU Scrutiny 

According to the Good Food Institute Europe, the Italian government has withdrawn two draft laws from being considered by the European Union: the bill proposing a ban on the production and marketing of cultivated meat and a law to restrict the use of terms such as “salami” or “steak” in plant-based meat labels. The proposed bill to ban cell-based foods aims to “protect” the country’s culture and food heritage from technological innovations, and the labeling restrictions, as noted in the draft, are measures to “avoid misleading nutritional claims” by plant-based meat companies. Due to their potential impact on the region’s market, the European Commission and member states had to examine the draft laws before their adoption to assess their alignment with EU law, through a …

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Oatly calls for climate labelling

© Oatly
Sustainability / Environment

Oatly Calls for Climate Labelling in the UK, Challenges “Big Dairy” to Publish Its Climate Impact

Oatly has launched a campaign calling for all food and drink producers in the UK to adopt climate labelling. The company, which already makes its emissions data public, has published a paper titled Climate Labelling: Why Not? to make the case for others to follow suit. The report has been dubbed a “grey paper”, in recognition of the fact that “climate labelling isn’t a black and white issue where certain foods are good and others are not”. Oatly hopes to join forces with other companies to come up with an effective climate labelling system and put pressure on the UK government to make it mandatory. To promote the campaign, Oatly is offering free high-profile ad spots to the dairy industry if it makes its climate …

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Heura Fish in wrap

Image courtesy of Heura
Agriculture / Agribusiness

Plant-Based Seafood Labels Accused of Deceiving Consumers by Spain’s Seafood Industry

In yet another war against plant-based food labelling, Spain’s seafood industry has joined forces to denounce “fraud in the labelling and presentation of plant-based seafood products,” arguing that such practices confuse consumers. The coalition, also joined by the association of wholesalers, importers, exporters, and processors of seafood products Conxemar, is calling on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to review and immediately withdraw plant-based seafood products that use fish names on their labels seeking to “deceive consumers on the nutritional value of the products,” as reported by the media.  In addition, they argue that the products do not comply with “several” European and national regulations, including unfair competition practices, advertising of food products, and food safety and nutrition. A recent USDA Spain Seafood Report 2023 says …

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Australian meat lobby calls for alt meat labelling restrictions

© v2food
Politics & Law

Australia: Alt Meat Labelling Restrictions Delayed as Government Seeks Industry Views

In 2021, Australian Senator Susan McDonald — former owner of meat retailer Super Butcher — chaired an inquiry where she pushed for the introduction of alt meat labelling restrictions. The aim of the proposed laws was to prevent plant-based producers from using meat-like terms such as “beef” and “chicken”. The inquiry followed lobbying from the Australian Red Meat Advisory Council, which claimed that meat alternatives were using terms that misled consumers. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission sided with the plant-based industry, but despite this, the inquiry published results in 2022 recommending that labelling restrictions be introduced. Now, over 18 months later, the Australian meat industry has expressed frustration that the restrictions have not yet been made law. Cattle Australia interim CEO Adam Coffey told …

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Paris skyline

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Politics & Law

France Continues Fight Against “Meat Names” on Plant-Based Meat Labelling

France has revealed renewed proposals to prohibit using meat-related terms such as “steak” and “ham” to describe and market plant-based meat products made and sold in the country.  A new draft decree bans 21 meat names used to describe “foodstuffs containing plant proteins,” including “steak”, “ham”, “escalope,” or “spare ribs“, and even “butcher” or “meat maker”.  However, over 100 meat-related names, such as “cooked ham”, “poultry”, “sausage”, or “bacon”, will be permitted as long as the products contain plant proteins within the range of 0.5% to 6%.  The term “burger” is not included in any of the lists. France, the first country in the EU to take such measures against plant-based meat labels, tried to pass a decree last year backed by the country’s meat industry and …

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Irish plant-forward frozen food brand Strong Roots has launched climate footprint labels across all its packages.

© Strong Roots
Food & Beverage

Strong Roots Launches Carbon Footprint Labels Highlighting GHG Emissions of Each Product “From Soil to Shelf”

Irish plant-forward frozen food brand Strong Roots has launched climate footprint labels across all its packaging to help climate-friendly consumers make informed purchase decisions.  To calculate its emissions, Strong Roots has partnered with Swedish climate company CarbonCloud. Its intelligent software allows Strong Roots to effectively monitor and assess the carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and methane emissions associated with each product’s lifecycle, from ingredients to shelf to distribution. With the information, Strong Roots can establish an emission baseline and develop a roadmap to identify areas for improvement in its production process, Samuel Dennigan, founder and CEO of Strong Roots, told Forbes.   Environmental concerns While health considerations are still essential for purchasing plant-based products, a significant portion of people (45%) are motivated by environmental concerns, according to a study conducted …

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US Capitol/ Congress Building

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Politics & Law

FDA’s Plant-Based Milk Labeling Guidances: “Unprecedented, Unwarranted, and a Solution in Search of a Problem”

The Plant-Based Foods Association recently submitted a response to the FDA regarding its “Draft Labeling Recommendations for Plant-based Milk Alternatives to Inform Consumers” paper which recommends that brands add nutrition statements comparing plant-based milk to milk from dairy cows. This move would be completely unique to plant-based milk and has been described by the PBFA as “unprecedented, unwarranted, and a solution in search of a problem.”   Taking a deep dive into the supposed evidence behind this guidance, the PBFA has lodged a Freedom of Information Act Request to access the consumer research employed by the FDA, and here shares the assessment compiled by Professor Joel H. Steckel of New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, scrutinizing the foundation of the FDA’s conclusions. …

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© ACCRO
Politics & Law

France Asks European Court of Justice to Clarify Legality of Alt Meat Labelling Ban

The French Conseil d’Etat has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to clarify whether the government’s decree banning the use of meat-like terms for plant-based products is compatible with EU law. The governmental body is requesting information on whether individual member states can introduce this type of law, or whether EU-level harmonisation prevents this. If it is considered allowable to introduce the law, the Conseil D’Etat is seeking clarification on whether the decree is a proportionate way of achieving the goal of consumer transparency. The requests come in response to a court case brought by The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) and other parties — who claim that the decree violates EU law — against the Conseil D’Etat. Once the ECJ has provided clarification, the …

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Fry's burger

©Fry's
Politics & Law

South Africa: Government’s Seizure of Meat Alternatives Halted Indefinitely

The South African government’s planned seizure of meat alternatives has been halted for an indefinite period, following a victory in court for the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA). The government’s Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) initially announced its intention to seize the products last year, saying that plant-based foods should not be allowed to use names intended for processed meat products (such as “sausage” or “burger”). But the CGCSA argued in court that there were no names legally reserved for processed meats, and no regulations for how meat alternatives could be labeled. As a result, it described the seizure as unlawful and a “significant overreach”. The Council previously secured a temporary victory at the Johannesburg High Court last year, …

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two woman reading a product label

© ProVeg International
Studies & Numbers

Report: Vegan Products Sold in the UK Could Contain Dairy or Eggs

The UK’s Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has published the report Vegan and Plant-Based Food, which reveals that products labelled as vegan could contain animal ingredients. The CTSI argues that since a legal definition of vegan does not exist, food businesses could consider products that contain animal ingredient traces from manufacturing processes to be vegan and label them as such. “There is also a degree of uncertainty among businesses as to what claims they can make about vegan foods, and what requirements they must follow to confidently label a food as vegan,” states the report. Is it vegan? The report includes data from Hampshire and Kent Scientific Services showing that many vegan products have traces of egg or dairy, including various chocolates, pizza, muffins, vegetable curry, corn …

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THIS Isn't Streaky Bacon

© THIS
Politics & Law

APA: Plant-Based Labelling Restrictions Are Targeting a “Problem That Doesn’t Exist”

A report by the Alternative Proteins Association (APA) has argued that plant-based labelling restrictions will make life harder, not easier, for British consumers. As lobbyists for the meat and dairy industries increasingly call for plant-based producers to be banned from using descriptors such as “oat milk”, “veggie burgers”, and “vegan cheese”, the APA is calling for “common-sense rules” on labelling. The association points out that contrary to claims by lobbyists, surveys consistently show that consumers are not confused by current labelling practices — in fact, meat-like and dairy-like terms are commonly used in everyday conversation when describing plant-based foods. Consequently, banning these terms would increase rather than decrease consumer confusion. Furthermore, the report argues that less strict regulations could have several benefits for the UK, …

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Palm PR petition against Trading Standards

© Palm PR
Politics & Law

Plant-Based Brands Rally Behind PR Firm’s Campaign for Trading Standards to Permit Dairy-Related Terms

An initiative has been undertaken to counter the Trading Standards’ issuance of guidelines that prohibit plant-based brands from employing dairy-associated terminology such as “mylk,” “sheese,” and “b+tter”. Palm PR, a Food & Drink Public Relations agency, has spearheaded this campaign, launching a petition that endeavours to safeguard the marketing practices of vegan brands. The campaign has commenced by means of a petition hosted on change.org and has already garnered support from prominent entities such as The Vegan Society and vegan charity Viva!, along with numerous enterprises and influential figures within the field. Palm PR’s short-term aim is for the petition to prevent Trading Standards from issuing guidelines preventing plant-based brands from using dairy-related terms. In the long term, the firm hopes that the campaign will …

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Animal-Free Dairy Milk

© Bored Cow
Politics & Law

Dairy Farmers’ Letter to the FDA: “It is Baseless, Preposterous and Absurd” to Refer to Animal-Free Dairy as Milk

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has written a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging it to ban the word ‘milk’ in the labeling of synthetic food products, arguing it violates the federal dairy Standard of Identity. The NMPF argues that milk is “the lacteal secretions of healthy cows (are dairy cows healthy?) and that alternatives made with synthetic dairy proteins simply use the word to masquerade as natural.  NMPF’s highlight of mislabeling is Bored Cow’s animal-free dairy milk made with precision fermentation-derived whey protein and other ingredients such as oils, sugars, water, vitamins, and minerals. Bored Cow’s animal-free milk launched at US natural foods retailer Sprouts Farmers Market this April. The company claims its milk alternative contains 8g of protein per cup (like …

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Quorn_Hot_Honey_BBQ_Wings

© Quorn
Company News

Quorn Joins PBFA UK to Fight Plant-Based Labelling Restrictions

Meat alternatives brand Quorn has become a member of the UK’s Plant-Based Food Alliance (PBFA), joining other players such as Alpro, Oatly, and Upfield. It comes as the PBFA works to prevent the adoption of new draft trading standards guidance, which would prevent plant-based products from using dairy-like descriptor terms such as “m*lk”, “alternative to cheese”, or “yogurt-style”. “We have been fighting the proposed guidance to restrict plant-based labelling for over a year now and we will continue to do so, because we believe that the Government should be doing all it can to promote the sector rather than hinder it,” said Marisa Heath, PBFA CEO. Food security Quorn was originally founded to provide food security; scientists recognised as far back as the 1960s that …

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NotCo appeals lawsuit against its trademark NotMilk

© NotCo
Politics & Law

NotCo Fights for NotMilk Trademark Following Dairy Lawsuit in Chile

Yesterday Chilean giant NotCo announced that in the next few days, it will appeal against a ruling prohibiting the use of the NotMilk trademark in Chile.  At the end of 2020, Aproval, the Valdivia dairy farmers union, filed an “unfair competition” lawsuit to the 1st Civil Court of Valdivia, accusing NotCo of taking advantage of “milk’s prestige.”  Aproval argued that NotMilk’s advertising strategy uses the word milk to sell its product and, at the same time, disqualifies natural milk, saying it is harmful to health and the environment. The court, which ruled in favor of the dairy union, ordered the “cessation and prohibition of the use of any mark, labeling, distinctive or image, of any nature (whether on the packaging of its product or in …

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Supermarket shelves with alt milk courtesy ProVeg

Image courtesy ProVeg
Politics & Law

Tear Up the Draft! Says PBFA UK Regarding Absurd Labelling Proposals

Draft guidance that would restrict the labelling of plant-based products in the UK should be torn up, says the Plant-based Food Alliance UK today. If the proposal comes to pass, it could lead to numerous products being pulled from supermarket shelves around the country. Not only do the proposals put countless UK businesses at risk, but the guidelines also contradict efforts by the UK government to make society more sustainable, since the production and consumption of plant-based foods emits half the amount of greenhouse gases as animal-based foods. Ad hoc and unaccountable Drafted in February 2022 by the Food Standards and Information Focus Group (FSIFG), an ad hoc and unaccountable group of trading standards officials, the proposal suggests that phrases such as “mylk”, “m*lk” , …

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Jonathan Petrides, Founder of allplants

Founder Jonathan Petrides ©allplants
Politics & Law

Experts Respond to Draft UK Guidelines That Would Ban Use of Dairy-Like Terms for Plant-Based Products

Investigative reporting from The Times and Greenpeace has revealed that new UK Trading Standard guidelines could ban the use of dairy-like terms when marketing plant-based alternatives. We spoke with the founder of industry leader allplants and the co-founder of food industry comms firm Palm PR, for a food industry perspective and public relations advice around this complicated issue. If the draft guidelines are put into force, then “obvious misspelling, homophonic words or [the] inserting [of] non-alphabet symbols” to refer to legally protected dairy terms would be prohibited. This could affect all vegan dairy products, and could see brands banned from labelling their products as “mylk”, “m*lk”, “vegan cheese”, “plant-based yoghurt”, or “cheddar-type”, along with a host of other descriptors that have historically been allowed. The …

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Burger with Seitán del Bueno alt meat

© Seitán del Bueno FB
Politics & Law

Chile Passes Bill Banning Meaty Terms to Safeguard Meat Industry

On April 17th, Chile‘s government passed a bill to redefine the concept of meat and prohibit meaty terms for non-animal origin products, including plant-based foods. The bill proposes that words such as hamburger, chorizo, sausage, or jerky, for example, cannot be used to describe, promote, or market foods that contain a higher proportion of vegetable matter than meat. Vegetarianos Hoy, an international organization working in Latin America to promote plant-based diets (check its guide on vegan products in LATAM ), called on the country’s organizations and brands operating in the plant-based industry to make a statement.  Last Friday, seven organizations, including ReVeL Foods, Vegusta, VegMonkey, Rikü, Pow! Foods, Seitan del Bueno, Carno, and Vegetarianos Hoy, signed an official document titled NO to the law against products of …

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