The text was eagerly awaited by the animal sectors. The National Observatory for Plant Food has regretted a decree which “places France in a conservative position”.
Le Monde with AFP
Products based on vegetable proteins will soon be called “steak”, “bacon” or “sausage”. A decree published Thursday, June 30 in the Official Journal establishes that it will not be possible to use the terminology specific to the sectors traditionally associated with meat and fish to designate products not belonging to the animal kingdom “.
The text, which will come into force on 1 er October 2022, however allows the marketing of “food manufactured or labeled” before this date until December 31, 2023.
The decree also specifies the maximum content of vegetable proteins authorized to keep the names – from the code of uses of meats – for pets of animal origin but containing a part of vegetable proteins. Thus, a minced meat steak can continue to be called steak provided that its vegetable protein content does not exceed 7 %. A percentage that goes to 3 % for Frankfurt sausage, 1 % for black sausage or dry sausage, and 0.5 % for bacon or bacon.
animal sectors want regulations European
The text was eagerly awaited by the professionals of the animal sectors. It constitutes “an essential step in favor of the transparency of information to the consumer as well as the preservation of our products and know-how”, welcomed Jean-François Guihard, president of Interbev, the national interprofessional association cattle and meats.
Conversely, the National Observatory for Plant Food (ONAV) regrets that the decree published Thursday “places France in a conservative position, against current issues and European policy on these questions”. Within the European Union, the name of plant products by terms traditionally reserved for animal meat is authorized, with the exception of animal milk products. For example, it is not possible to use the word “yogurt” or “cheese” for a plant imitation.
of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA) to poultry professionals, all the major unions of the animal sectors welcomed the text, but they also asked the government to “carry the file in Brussels in order to ‘Expand the scope of application to all products, whatever their origin “.
The published decree specifies that the products “legally manufactured or marketed in another Member State of the European Union or in Turkey, or legally manufactured in another State Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, are not subject to the requirements of this decree “.
Professionals in the pig sector also believe that the law must also “protect animal names compared to artificial synthetic foods”, ie “laboratory” meats “, obtained by the culture of cells animals, but also microbial or fungal proteins.