Australian farmers and meat industry executives are calling for vegan meat products to stop calling themselves ‘meat’.
Previously, there have been calls from the dairy industry to ban companies that produce alternative milks (like oat, almond, or soy) from calling themselves ‘milk’.
The argument in both cases is that labelling vegan meat or plant milks as ‘meat’ and ‘milk’ misleads customers.
Terry Richardson, President of Australian Dairy Farmers, said in a statement that, “Australia needs to restore truth in product labelling so that consumers can make more accurate food and beverage choices.”
He accused plant-based milk brands of “co-opting the look and feel of dairy” to gain a “marketing advantage.”
In the US, a discussion over meat labelling is taking place right now. Texas’ House of Representatives has voted in favour of the Texas Meat and Imitation Food Act, which now has to be passed in the Senate.
The purpose of the bill is to ban plant-based food brands from using the words ‘meat and ‘beef’ in their packaging.
Plant-based food brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers have criticised the laws as a violation of free speech.
Back in Australia, chief executive of Australian Pork Limited, Margo Andrae, told Lad Bible, “these companies need to be held to the same account as us around the food safety standards.”
“People need to know what is in these products so they have to open the transparency around how they develop the products.”
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