Veggie 'steak' is no more a thing in France as govt bans use of 'confusing' terms with vegetarian items

The word “steak” is only allowed to be used in reference to meat, according to a decree the French government issued Tuesday, prohibiting its use on the labels of vegetarian goods.

According to the decree, other terms that are no longer applicable to meatless products include “escalope,” “ham,” “filet,” and “prime rib.”

The meat industry has long complained that terms like “vegetarian ham” and “vegan sausage” were confusing to consumers. This ruling addresses their concerns.

It is predicated on a 2020 law whose implementation was momentarily halted by the State Council in June 2022 in response to a grievance filed by Proteines France, an association of French firms that market plant-based foods.

According to the revised decree published Tuesday, some products containing a small amount of plant-based content can continue to use meaty names, such as merguez sausage, bacon or cordon bleu.

Producers elsewhere in the European Union can continue to sell vegetarian food with meat names in France.

Proteines France has been arguing that the French law is at odds with EU food rules.

Individuals breaking the labelling law can be fined up to 1,500 euros ($1,630), rising to 7,500 euros for companies.

But producers have one year to sell their existing stock before any penalties are applied, the decree said.

With inputs from AFP