In a significant victory for the plant-based food industry, the European Union’s top court has ruled that vegan sausages and burgers can use traditional meat names. The Court of Justice’s decision on Friday means that EU countries cannot prevent companies from using terms like “steaks” or “sausages” for plant-based meat alternatives, as long as those names are not already legally protected.
This ruling stems from a challenge brought by the French lobby group Protéines France, along with two other vegetarian associations and California’s Beyond Meat, against the French government’s ban on using terms like “steak” and “ham” for plant protein products. The court’s decision effectively allows vegan producers to use these generic terms, unless a member country has a specific legal definition for those terms.
However, the court also clarified that countries can intervene if the sale or promotion of a food item misleads consumers. In other words, while vegan products can be marketed as “sausages” or “burgers,” they must not falsely represent themselves as traditional meat products.
This ruling is a major step forward for the growing vegan and vegetarian market, offering producers more freedom to market their products. It also signifies a shift in consumer attitudes, with a growing demand for plant-based alternatives to traditional meat products. This decision opens up new possibilities for innovation and development in the food industry, encouraging more sustainable and ethical options for consumers.
