The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on Friday that France cannot enforce its ban on meat substitutes bearing “meat names.”
This is because there is no legal definition for many meat product descriptors such as "steak."
The French Council of State will rule on the appeal brought against the ban by the European Vegetarian Union, the Association Protéines France and Beyond Meat.
What was the initial reason for banning meat names?
You can also learn more about the following: In February we celebrate the month of February.France announced that it would ban “meat names” for plant-based food products. The name “bacon” could not be used for plant-based products. It was also not allowed to call plant-based meats, steak or sausage, “steak.” This ban extended to mycoprotein-based meat substitutes and other alternatives.
After complaints that the names could be confusing to consumers and opposition from the agricultural sector, a ban was imposed.
The ban is not expected to last long.The ban was, however, suspended. The French Council of State lifted the ban in April. It was concerned that French herbal product manufacturers would not be able to make the necessary changes to packaging and marketing within the deadline.
Why did the CJEU block the ban?
According to the CJEU, such terms can only be banned if they are defined by law. France cannot ban terms like "sausage", "steak" or "meat" because they have no definition.
Katiamerten-Lentz, a partner at Food Law Science and Partners, says that is not the case with the word “meat,” which Food Law Science and Partners defines as “edible parts of animals.”
In this regard, the court also held that existing European consumer protection laws were sufficient and that the ban was therefore not necessary.
FoodNavigator quoted Rafael Pinto as saying: "This decision is important both for the European economy and for consumer protection."
The use of traditional names is actually instructive, given the growing number of Europeans who are buying plant-based alternatives for health, environmental or ethical reasons. [consumers] Taste and preparation of the product are important factors. The data also shows that these consumers are making a deliberate choice to buy the products. “They are not buying these products by accident.”
He suggested that the decision will have an impact on all EU members. For countries that have proposed similar bans, it is now necessary to create legal definitions for terms such as steak, hamburger or sausage.
Merten-Lentz, speaking to FoodNavigator, said the ruling “offers a narrow loophole” for member states as it states that legal terms can be established. It also sends a warning that bans on certain words cannot be imposed arbitrarily without a proper legal basis.
However, it reflects the position of the Court.
FoodNavigator contacted the largest French farmers' union, the National Federation of Farmers' Unions.
What is the biggest obstacle to developing legal definitions in your country?
According to the European Vegetarian Union, if France were to develop legal definitions for these terms, this could lead to harmonization problems within the single market. For example, the definition of "bacon" could be different between Germany and France.
It might be difficult to implement such definitions due to linguistic and cultural differences between Member States.
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