France has adopted a new food labeling law, according to which the terms traditional for animal products cannot be used for naming and advertising vegetable protein dishes.
Phrases like 'vegetable steak' include fines. The authors of the law believe that restrictions for producers of analogues of natural meat will increase the transparency of information on the composition of products, and descriptions such as 'vegetarian soy sausage' mislead the consumer.
Representatives of the European Vegetarian Union (EVU) have already opposed the legislative initiative. They express the exact opposite point of view: the law not only does not clarify, but also confuses the established preferences of 'meat-eaters' and 'vegans.' EVU refers to a recent study conducted in the German market. The survey found that only 4% of respondents have ever mistakenly bought a vegetable product instead of a meat product (or vice versa).
EVU PR director Ronja Berthold said that the 'meat' names for products intended for vegans and vegetarians do not mislead the buyer, but help people navigate the stream of diverse offers.
Source: meatinfo.ru.
