France raises «meaty» plant-based food labeling case to European Court of Justice
The controversy over using meat-related terms for plant-based products has escalated to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The high court will answer questions raised by the French Council of State and clarify whether the country has the right to introduce its own laws on food labeling.
The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) and the Association Végétarienne de France (AVF) filed a lawsuit against a French decree that bans the use of words such as «burger», «steak», «sausage» and «nugget» for foods that do not contain animal flesh.
The decree was adopted in 2020 but it was not implemented as the French courts delayed the implementation last year. The law aims to protect consumers from misleading or confusing labels.
However, the EVU and the AVF argue that the French decree violates EU law and consumer rights.