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Topics: Food and Drink, UK News
Emily Brown
Just days after the celebration of World Vegan Day on 1 November, farmers and experts are arguing that words like 'bacon', 'sausage' and 'steak' should be banned in relation to foods that don't contain animal products.
'Pepper-no-ni' and 'no-meat balls' are just a couple of examples of how food manufacturers try to cater to vegan customers, allowing them to recognise the meat product they're imitating while still striving to point out that they're made of plants.
Supermarket shelves are now packed with a whole range of vegan alternatives for both carnivores and herbivores to try, but food consultants, retail experts, farmers and butchers are among those who argue they shouldn't be packaged with words typically associated with meat products.
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Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, expressed belief there should be a 'new rule saying vegan products cannot be called sausages, steaks or bacon', according to the Mail Online.
He continued: "We ought to follow what the French are doing. You’d think Trading Standards would have been onto it already, as what it says on the tin is what should be inside."
France was set to introduce a ban on terms such as 'sausages' and 'steak' to describe plant-based meat alternatives, though the country's highest court temporarily overturned the ban at the end of July.
Bamfield went on to say his argument was not 'against people eating vegan food', but explained: "The idea you can call a product whatever you like, irrespective of what’s inside, goes against labelling laws.
"Research shows some vegan products are very refined.
"Calling something a ‘veggie sausage’ is a sales tactic as the producer thinks it will sell more than if it’s called a ‘vegan stick'."
Nellie Nichols, one of Britain’s leading food consultants, agreed with Bamfield that manufacturers and retailers should 'not try to pull the wool over consumers eyes', but used the brand This as an example of how creators could get around the challenge.
"A clever way to get people get around it is to say something isn’t what you think it is, such as with the brand ‘This’ which sells products including ‘This Isn’t Chicken Plant-Based Pieces," she explained.
The arguments are nothing new for farmers, as a spokesperson for the National Farmers’ Union pointed out the community has 'long called for clear, unambiguous labelling'.
The spokesperson continued: "We would like to see labelling legislation revised to further protect traditional meat terms.
"All food products have specific ingredients and their own nutritional properties.
"This is why using the same term for products in different food categories should be avoided."
However, a spokesperson for The Vegan Society accused animal farmers and meat industries of 'desperately trying to restrict the marketing of vegan products' as the demand for vegan food is growing.
They further argued terms such as 'sausage' or 'bacon' offer 'context in which the plant-based food item can be eaten or prepared.’