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Many meatless alternatives will soon need new names in France
Photo: Oliver Berg/ dpa
Vegetarian sausages will need a new name in France from October – because the meatless alternatives will then no longer be allowed to call themselves sausages.
A new decree is intended to ensure that meat and fish products are clearly separated from vegetarian alternative products.
For this reason, terms such as steak or sausage, which are usually used for meat products, should no longer be used for non-animal foods.
France is the first country in the European Union (EU) to introduce such a restriction.
"This provision is a first step (...) that should be expanded at European level," said the French meat industry association Interbev.
Initially, the regulation only applies to products manufactured in France.
In 2020, the EU Parliament decided that meat substitute products could continue to be labeled as burgers, steaks or sausages.
However, the designations milk, cheese and butter have been restricted for products such as soy milk that are not made from animal products.
ani/Reuters