The UK meat industry has responded to the European Parliament’s decision to ban “meaty” labels for plant-based products, calling the decision “entirely sensible”.
A 355-247 majority vote saw European Parliament decide to ban “meaty” labels on products not containing meat, with voters stating that products using these labels must contain cell-cultured products.
A spokesperson from the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) commented: “From a health perspective, it’s important that consumers aren’t misled as to the nutritional value of the food they’re buying. It’s well established that there are essential nutrients that can only be found in animal products, and the often ultra-processed plant-based substitutes don’t provide an adequate alternative source of these nutrients.
“If these products carry the same name on the label, people run the risk of unwittingly being nudged away from natural, nutritious whole foods (including meat and vegetables) to highly processed substitutes lacking essential nutritional elements.
“For the UK we would simply advocate for clear labelling that gives consumers the information they need to make informed choices about the food they eat. With the vast majority of British people choosing to include meat in their diet, this should see British farmers well supported, particularly as choosing meat from British pasture-fed animals means choosing meat produced to some of the world’s highest standards with the lowest environmental footprint.”
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) agreed with MEPs, and stated: “AIMS are of the view that the European Parliament’s recent decision to introduce a new definition of meat as ‘edible parts of animals’ is entirely sensible and supports it.”
“It would make sense for the UK to be aligned with the EU on this now, although we would have to assess the impact of this on some meat businesses that sell plant-based options.”
Rod Addy, Provision Trade Federation
Rod Addy, director general of the Provision Trade Federation (PTF), said: “The new EU law prevents traditional meat-based terms such as ‘meat products’, ‘steak’, ‘escalope’, ‘sausage’, ‘burger’ and ‘hamburger’ from being used for non-meat-based products or cell-based meat.
“Common sense has prevailed. Such labels can be misleading and AHDB shopper research suggests six in 10 consumers also don’t want meat and meat alternative products sold alongside each other. More than half believed mixing meat and meat-free products was potentially confusing, with shoppers struggling to tell them apart.
“Of course, the UK takes a more relaxed approach to the use of meat-based marketing terms. It would make sense for the UK to be aligned with the EU on this now, although we would have to assess the impact of this on some meat businesses that sell plant-based options.”
