Words matter! Farm Europe and Eat Europe have sent a joint letter to EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, and to EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, to call for clear and harmonised EU rules on meat denominations, currently missing, thus undermining the right of consumers to have transparent information when it comes to food choices.
While dairy-related denominations are already protected under EU law, the same level of clarity must be provided to meat products. The current regulatory gap enables alternative products made from mushrooms, insects, or lab-grown components, as well as plant-based products — very often the result of high levels of processing, with the addition of chemical substances — to use traditional meat terminology, to mimic the appearance, taste, and texture of animal-based foods, despite significant differences in nutritional profile. The absence of legal protection leads to confusion among consumers and to unfair competition for livestock farmers.
The topic of meat denominations was already introduced during the last Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. Despite a strong interest, the discussions did not lead to concrete action at that time. The letter to the Commissioners, sent by the Presidents of Farm Europe and Eat Europe, underlines the growing demand for clearer rules to ensure that consumers are not misled and that product labelling reflects the true nature of food items being sold. Consumers deserve transparency, and producers deserve a fair marketplace.
This initiative comes as discussions bounce back in the European Parliament regarding the use of meat-related terms for plant-based and alternative protein products. The issue has gained renewed momentum with the recent amendment proposed by MEP Céline Imart, aiming to ensure that names such as “steak”, “sausage”, “burger”, and others are reserved exclusively for products derived from animal meat.
The debate is expected to move forward in the coming weeks, with amendments in the European Parliament scheduled to be discussed on June 30th. Farm Europe and Eat Europe stress that this is a timely opportunity to support our Call for Action, and encourage European institutions to take clear initiatives for a comprehensive legislative framework on meat denominations, in the interest of both consumers and farmers.This action follows the Call for Action “Words matter” launched by Farm Europe back in October 2024. You can read more and support this initiative following this link: https://www.farm-europe.eu/news/whats-true-for-milk-must-also-be-true-for-meat/
O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Farm Europe.
