24.08.2022

Vegan and vegetarian meat alternatives

In Germany, plant-based substitute to meat are being purchased more and more frequently.

There are no legal regulations at EU level regarding the specific labelling of plant-based meat and sausage alternatives. In Germany, the guidelines for vegan and vegetarian foods with similarities to foods of animal origin have been used as the basis for the designation since 2018. In addition, ISO 23662:2021 has been in force since 2021 and includes definitions for vegan and vegetarian foods in international trades.

France was the first EU member state to pass a decree regulating the labelling of vegan and vegetarian alternative products. This will forbid terms traditionally used for meat and fish, such as steak, for plant products. This regulation comes into force on 1 October and is only legally relevant for food produced in France.

French farmers' organisations are also seeking a European extension of this regulation, similar to the case of dairy products. However, this request is opposed by a decision of the EU Parliament from 2020, which allows meat alternative products to continue to be labelled steak or sausage, for example.

Further developments in the field of vegan and vegetarian food at EU level remain to be seen. We are happy to support you in the labelling, declaration and analysis of your meat and fish alternatives.

We will be happy to advise you. Contact us for more information.

Sources:
https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Broschueren/ernaehrungsreport-2020.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=27
https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/_Ernaehrung/Lebensmittel-Kennzeichnung/LeitsaetzevegetrarischeveganeLebensmittel.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5
https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/frankreich-vegetarische-wuerste-duerfen-nicht-mehr-wuerste-heissen-a-da455b81-a7e0-4f12-b63f-42fa3c864b50
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201016IPR89542/a-greener-fairer-and-more-robust-eu-farm-policy
ISO 23662:2021-03