Post by account_disabled on Feb 19, 2024 23:42:40 GMT -5
In contrast, 26.2% see no problem in using these names, while around 20% do have confusion with them. "The use of meat culinary names on foods of plant origin makes it easier for consumers to know how to integrate these products into a meal, and as such should not be prohibited," BEUC stated in a letter to the Commission. Read more: 6 Spanish startups that are called to transform the way we eat But this is not the opinion of many European farmers. Last week, several farmers' associations launched the campaign Ceci n'est pas un steak ("this is not a steak"), a reference to the famous painting of a pipe by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte . "We believe that consumers are interested in knowing whether certain denominations contain meat ," explains Pekka Pesonen, head of the agricultural lobby group Copa-Cogeca , based in Brussels.
It would be unfair competition to bring new products [being exclusively plant-based] to specific meat appellations: if the purpose is to promote plant-based products, why should it be done at the expense of tradition and the work of other categories of products?", he summarizes. Dairy Dairy. Getty Images When it comes to milk, EU law already prohibits Middle East Phone Number List the use of dairy terms such as "milk", "cheese" or "butter" for vegan products that do not come from animals . That means "almond milk" is not allowed, but "almond drink" would be. But the amendment in question goes further, seeking to prohibit names such as "yogurt style" or "cheese substitute", as well as more descriptive terms such as "creamy", for confusing the consumer with supposed terms and references to textures, consistency, function , flavor or origin of food, such as 'peanut butter' or 'cookies cream'.
It would be beyond ridiculous if all these products and food preparations had to be rebranded just to protect cow's milk," said Jasmijn de Boo, vice-president of campaign group ProVeg. In this case, the new law could even prevent companies from declaring that their products "contain half the amount of fat of a dairy product" , or that they cause "fewer carbon emissions than cheese", since it would be falling from new in illegal competition against the same industry. For his part, Pesonen, from the Copa-Cogeca farmers' lobby group, assumes that thanks to the current regulations, "consumers know exactly what butter, milk or cream they would represent." "We all know what margarine represents. And it is not butter or vegetable fat butter ," he alludes. "And this requirement has not stopped plant products from developing their market shares.
It would be unfair competition to bring new products [being exclusively plant-based] to specific meat appellations: if the purpose is to promote plant-based products, why should it be done at the expense of tradition and the work of other categories of products?", he summarizes. Dairy Dairy. Getty Images When it comes to milk, EU law already prohibits Middle East Phone Number List the use of dairy terms such as "milk", "cheese" or "butter" for vegan products that do not come from animals . That means "almond milk" is not allowed, but "almond drink" would be. But the amendment in question goes further, seeking to prohibit names such as "yogurt style" or "cheese substitute", as well as more descriptive terms such as "creamy", for confusing the consumer with supposed terms and references to textures, consistency, function , flavor or origin of food, such as 'peanut butter' or 'cookies cream'.
It would be beyond ridiculous if all these products and food preparations had to be rebranded just to protect cow's milk," said Jasmijn de Boo, vice-president of campaign group ProVeg. In this case, the new law could even prevent companies from declaring that their products "contain half the amount of fat of a dairy product" , or that they cause "fewer carbon emissions than cheese", since it would be falling from new in illegal competition against the same industry. For his part, Pesonen, from the Copa-Cogeca farmers' lobby group, assumes that thanks to the current regulations, "consumers know exactly what butter, milk or cream they would represent." "We all know what margarine represents. And it is not butter or vegetable fat butter ," he alludes. "And this requirement has not stopped plant products from developing their market shares.