France issues new decree to ban plant-based meat descriptors

A new decree, issued earlier this week by the Ministry of Agriculture, looks to prohibit the use of terms such as “ham” and “steak” in products containing “plant-based proteins”.

The law is intended to come into play from 1 May.

Other words that could also face a ban include, “fillet” “false fillet”, “tendon”, “grill”, “escalope”, “entrecôte”, “rumpsteak”, “aiguillette baronne”, and “butcher”, among others.

The document also features a list of more than 100 terms that can be used for animal-based products that also contain plant-based proteins, though there is a limit on the amount of plant-based protein that can be used in a product if it is to use the meaty descriptor.

For example, to use “bacon”, a product must be made up of only 0.50% plant-based protein, while “chipolata” can contain 1%.

Food producers in the country that fail to adhere to the regulations will face fines ranging between €1,500 ($1,622) and €7,500.

Manufacturers of plant-based meat alternatives in countries outside of France would not be affected by the ruling.

France has already tried to pass a similar decree in 2022, which was suspended by the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court.

Just Food