Companies in the sector refer the matter to the Council of State

Several companies producing meat substitute products filed a summary suspension before the Council of State on Friday March 22 to contest a decree banning words such as “escalope” or “ham” to designate substitutes based on vegetable proteins.

Umiami, 77 Foods (trade name La Vie), Nutrition & Santé, Les Nouveaux Fermiers (trade name: HappyVore) and NxtFood (trade name: Accro) believe that this decree “Meat compromises the creation of the French sector of plant-based alternatives”.They suggested in a press release.

Guillaume Dubois, co-founder and president of the Happyware brand, described the order on Friday “which concerns only French products” No“ubiquitous” and D’“crafty”. “Artists producing abroad can keep these namesHe told Agence France-Presse. “This French industrialization completely disadvantages French agriculture”He protested. “This situation creates a harmful inequality of competition”Estimation of companies in the sector.

Filet, sirloin, rump steak, escalope…

Published on February 27, this decree refers to reserved names for products of animal origin and is therefore prohibited from designating products based on plant proteins. It follows the first decree of June 2022, itself suspended in summary proceedings by the highest French administrative court.

Details of the new text are specifically reserved, in two lists, for words containing products of animal origin or very little vegetable protein. Among them, fillet, sirloin, rump steak, escalope, steak, escalope, ham, flanchette or chuck. There are also restrictive conditions for marketing or promoting products containing vegetable protein “Names of species and groups of species of animals, referring to the morphology or anatomy of the animal”.

The decree provides for a maximum fine of 1,500 euros for an individual and 7,500 euros for a company, as well as a one-year transition period to sell existing stock.

Within the European Union, the naming of plant products is authorized by terms traditionally reserved for animal meat, except for plant equivalents of products made from animal milk (yogurt, cheese, etc.).