The very first “vegetable steak” production plant in France began production in mid-September.
The Parisian start-up "Les nouvelles fermiers", supported by foodtech investors, Xavier Niel's investment fund and the BPI, until now manufactured in other European countries its products using the codes of meat in taste, texture and smell.
The company, which refuses to disclose its turnover - of 5 million euros, according to our information - also maintains the mystery of the location of its new factory.
Read also: Faced with vegans, meat obtains the monopoly of the “steak” label
Already present in a hundred food chains in France, including the PNY burger chains, the Camion qui fume, Hank Taster and Dassaï by Joël Robuchon, the vegetable “steaks”, “aiguillettes” and “nuggets” are also distributed in 350 points of sale in France, including Monoprix and Carrefour.
They are also found on the company's website.
Highly publicized, the arrival of this factory in France did not fail to trigger the anger of the National Federation of Farmers' Unions (FNSEA).
She denounces in a press release the communication of the start-up "
which wants to pass factories for farms by using the term farmer.
"Which, continues the FNSEA,"
clearly demonstrates the ignorance of these industrialists of the reality of farmers who work with living things
.
"Vegetable meat": a designation soon to be banned
The agricultural federation, which represents the interests of breeders as well as farmers, does not denounce in its press release the use of a lexical field closer to that of butchery than to vegetable food.
However, the law "
relating to the transparency of information on food products
" adopted on May 27th forbids producers of meat substitutes from using terms usually used to designate food of animal origin.
How then can we explain that “
New Farmers
” use terms like “
steaks
” and “
aiguillettes
” to designate their products made up of peas, soybeans, corn and other vegetables?
Quite simply because the law has not yet entered into force.
Which should be done by the end of the year.
“
For the moment we still have the right to use these names
.
A law has just passed but a decree must specify the details, ”
reminds
Figaro
Guillaume Dubois, co-founder of the start-up.
“
The name vegetable meat is important to us
,” he continues.
Our three products provide the same taste experience as meat and meet the needs of people looking to reduce their meat consumption. ”
Read also: Retail: vegetarian and vegan products are mainly composed of water, denounces a study
These terms may be essential in the eyes of "New farmers", the law leaves them no hope of keeping them, says Katia Lentz, lawyer specializing in food law at the firm of Keller & Heckman.
"This law is directly inspired by a judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU of June 2017, which ruled on the case of vegetable milks", she
explains.
The Court, which had been seized to settle a dispute between the German company TofuTown and an association fighting against unfair competition, had then recalled "
that the milk and its derived products must necessarily be of animal origin
", continues the lawyer.
“
Today France wishes to protect meat names in the same way as dairy names
”, however there is no equivalent European rule.
Consequently, "
only a national measure or an intervention by the European Commission (which the European Parliament has also recently called for) could remedy this deficiency
", she adds.
This is what the law of May 27, which was supported by meat professionals in order to "
protect the names specific to meat products
," recalls Katia Lentz.
This protection is all the more important in the eyes of the industry as the consumption of meat is declining, while the market for plant products continues to grow, analyzes the lawyer.
How do “new farmers” intend to adapt to this new regulatory situation? Once again contacted by
Le Figaro
, the start-up has not responded for the moment. And she is not the only one to have to give up the meat vocabulary: Herta, Findus, Beyond Meat ... Everyone must prepare to rename their “steaks”.
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