Between its champagne and fromage, France is a stickler when it comes to food naming conventions and origins. But the growing plant-based movement has challenged its knee-jerk reaction to banning traditional “meaty” names on vegan products.
This May, France was initially set to ban the use of 21 such words, including “steak” and “ham,” on plant-based meat products. Violating this law would result in a fine of up to €7,500 ($7,999) per use. However, France’s highest court, the Conseil d’Etat, recently reversed this ban, citing that it would negatively impact specific businesses disproportionately, such as those that exclusively make vegan bacon.
La Vie
These types of bans have been championed by meat industry lobbies in other countries,…