Euro farmers lost the case against the plant-based protein manufacturers in Europe
On October 24th, 2020, the European parliament decided that products that do not contain meats of animal origin can continue to be labeled as “Burgers”, “Burger patties”, “Plant-based Sausages” and so on. EU farmers largely represented by their association Copa-Cogeca were concerned that plant-based products bearing names like those of animal origin would mislead the consumers and hurt the sales of their meat products.
Manufacturers of plant-based foods along with WWF and Green Peace demanded from EU lawmakers to unanimously reject farmers’ proposed ban based on the global trends in sustainable living, consumer education on carbon footprint, the importance of clean eating on the environment, and so on. After the result of the voting was made public, “European Consumer Association” said in their statement that “Consumers are in no way confused by a soy steak or chickpea-based sausage, so long as it is clearly labeled as vegetarian or vegan.” This was a big relief for the makers of vegan foods across the EU although they did express regrets that EU lawmakers decided to exclude products that were labeled as “dairy substitutes.” Either way, this is a huge win for the European plant-based food industries almost exactly a year after the American plant-based food manufacturers celebrated a similar victory.
A reason for celebration for European meatless burger manufacturers
Takeaway
Life in changing times for the tech and food sector is not easy. Neither for a consumer nor the manufacturer of foods. Both have to adapt to changes that are usually delegated by the environment and various extrinsic factors. We have seen more changes in tech innovation in the last 10 years than our parents or grandparents have seen in their lifetime. As long as the change is for the betterment of our living and the living of the living world around us, we should embrace it.