A European court has overturned France's ban on labelling vegetarian products "steak", "sausage" or other terms traditionally reserved for meat, a measure the French government imposed to protect its livestock industry in the face of growing competition.
French decrees, the latest from February of this year, have restricted the use of names such as "bacon", "escalope", "ham", "filet" and "prime rib" to products of animal origin.
Yet in a ruling issued on Friday, the Court of Justice of the European Union said member states cannot ban the use of commonly used terms if they do not have legal definitions.
The decision follows a tussle between the meat industry and vegetarian associations, who had already persuaded France's top administrative court to suspend the ban pending the EU ruling.
"This is a very welcome victory," said La Vie, a French maker of plant-based proteins, one of the parties backing the case alongside the Vegetarian Association of France and the European Vegetarian Union.
They argued consumers were already familiar with terms like "vegetarian sausage" and banning them would hurt producers' business interests.
Yet the meat industry claims such labels are confusing and threaten traditional foods.
In response to Friday's ruling, Interbev, a lobbying organisation that represents France's cattle and livestock industries, said it "deplores this decision that validates the usurpation of natural products to commercialise ultra-transformed foods".
France falls behind as other countries master 'cultured meat'
The livestock industry was instrumental in persuading French authorities to pass the labelling ban, which would have fined companies up to €7,500 for breaking the rules.
The penalties had not had time to come into force before France's Council of State administrative court suspended the legislation and referred it to EU judges.
It only applied to French producers, meaning that manufacturers elsewhere in the EU could continue to sell vegetarian food with meat names in France.
It was the first ban of its kind in the EU, though Interbev and other lobbyists were pushing for it be extended throughout the bloc.
(with AFP)
