The government’s decree is a response to a long-standing complaint by the meat industry that terms like ‘vegetarian ham’ or ‘vegan sausage’ were confusing for consumers.
The French government issued a decree on Tuesday, February 27, banning the term “steak” on the label of vegetarian products, saying it was reserved for meat alone. Other terms that can no longer be used for meat-free products include “escalope,” “ham,” “filet” and “prime rib,” according to the decree.
The ruling is a response to a long-standing complaint by the meat industry that terms like “vegetarian ham” or “vegan sausage” were confusing for consumers. It is based on a 2020 law whose application was temporarily suspended by the State Council in June 2022 after a complaint from Proteines France, a consortium of French companies selling plant-based food.
No one was confused. The meat industry just successfully lobbied for these word bans because it makes marketing of alternative products more difficult. They’ve been trying to get similar word bans in many countries for years because they think it will improve their bottom line.
And especially for generic things like sausages… what are they gonna call them, that’s not extremely unappetising?
“Nutrient tubules”?
And that’s gonna be less confusing…?
Discouraging sales of alternative products is the point, they’d love that name haha