The French Council of State gives a reprieve to products based on vegetable proteins using designations from animal products

Aug 17, 2022
Sébastien Bouley

The Council of State validated the request of an association against a decree which was to prohibit on October 1st names such as “steak” or “bacon” for products based on vegetable proteins.

The French Council of State intervened Wednesday July 27 against a decree which was to prohibit from October 1 the names like “steak” or “lardon” to define the vegetable derivatives of these foods. This decree, demanded by several interprofessional meat and livestock associations, was opposed by a request from the organization Protein France, filed on Friday July 22. The complainant associations deplored the confusion of consumers and manufacturers, created by the use of the terms “steak” and “bacon” to define vegetable products. The Protéines France association, responsible for defending manufacturers in the vegetable protein sector (Herta, Happyvore, etc.), then considered that the date of application of the requested decree left them too little time to reorganize their activities and their functioning.

With the publication of its decree at the end of June, France had become the only country in the European Union to go against this decision. Thus, by suspending this decree long demanded by the interprofessional meat and livestock associations, the administrative jurisdiction is following the European position, which authorizes the use of terms of animal origin, except for milk-based products.