{"id":13570,"date":"2020-09-14T17:44:24","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T15:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=13570"},"modified":"2020-09-14T17:44:24","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T15:44:24","slug":"name-thieves-meat-sounding-is-misleading-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/name-thieves-meat-sounding-is-misleading-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Name thieves: Meat Sounding is misleading consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The row over how to name plant-based products is heating up after European meat and dairy sector stakeholders have come together to criticize plant-based offerings that use meat and dairy terminology.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

They say this can \u201cclearly mislead EU consumers<\/strong> into thinking that these imitations are an \u2018equal\u2019 substitute to originals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast to popular opinion that plant-based foods are healthier, European livestock groups argue that ultra-processed meat alternatives<\/strong> can often be high in additives<\/strong>, salt<\/strong>, sugar<\/strong> and fat<\/strong>. The groups are also concerned that assigning meat and dairy denominations to their alternatives might further compromise European cultural food heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to protect the reputation of our products. We are perfectly fine with the willingness of consumers to look for new products and to diversify their diet<\/strong>, but we do not accept the hijacking<\/strong> of the powerful common denominations of meat to boost the sales of plant-based<\/strong> products,\u201d Birthe Steenberg<\/strong>, secretary general of poultry association AVEC<\/strong>, tells FoodIngredientsFirst<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Paolo Patruno<\/strong>, deputy secretary general at the European meat processing group Clitravi<\/strong>, adds: \u201cIt\u2019s not an issue of confusing meat<\/strong> and plant-based food<\/strong>. It\u2019s a question of fair marketing, fair information<\/strong> and keeping the tradition alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to avoid that one day the consumers would forget what is ham<\/strong> and would not taste the flavor of tradition anymore, losing its identity<\/strong> and the tradition<\/strong> behind breeds, savoir-faire, recipes, territories<\/strong> and traditional processing techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accepting \u201cno compromise\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In April 2019, the EU Parliament AGRI Committee voted in support of far-reaching changes to EU food labeling rules<\/strong>. These proposals, however, did not pass through the rest of the EU policy process before the May 2019 EU Parliament elections.<\/p>\n

Through their open letter, the livestock<\/strong> chain<\/strong> representatives urge MEPs to defend this original amendment and \u201cnot to accept any compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can the plant-based lobby<\/strong> claim that it is not misleading the consumers if it points out that they need meat denominations<\/strong> to convey information about their own product\u2019s texture and taste? If a product claims to be different from another, then it should have its own name or denomination,\u201d they argue.<\/p>\n

Ana Granados-Chapatte<\/strong>, director of the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB<\/strong>) argues that some plant-based products<\/strong> contain a very long ingredients list and can use ultra-processed<\/strong> products.<\/p>\n

An argument for cultural heritage<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Meat denominations<\/strong> are deeply rooted in European cultural heritage<\/strong>, the livestock bodies argue. \u201cBacon, ham, carpaccio, steak, filet, chops and salami are all traditional denominations<\/strong> that have been shaped over time by the hard work of farmers and butchers with quite great differences between regions, making them so unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we protected our local and regional heritage with Protected Geographical Indications<\/strong> (PGIs) and Protected Designations of Origin<\/strong> (PDOs), we should be consistent and also protect the denominations of more common goods which are also a result of our heritage<\/strong>,\u201d the organizations state.<\/p>\n

Patruno<\/strong> at Clitravi tells FoodIngredientsFirst: \u201cYou may understand the frustration of many European craftsmen<\/strong> producing delicatessen who see a plant-based ultra-processed product bearing the same denomination<\/strong> of their products and marketed as a more sustainable<\/strong> alternative, when we perfectly know that the nutrient density and the composition is completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

An insult to public intelligence?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In July, pro-plant-based NGOs<\/strong> slammed the EU-proposed ban on meat terminology in vegan products<\/strong>, saying this is an \u201cinsult to the public\u2019s intelligence.\u201d Responding to this, Patruno tells FoodIngredientsFirst: \u201cI believe that NGOs did not understand exactly the point. We know that a vegan salami or a vegetarian ham are plant-based products.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers know that they are eating vegetables and not meat, but the aggressive marketing<\/strong> of those products omit to clarify that eating a slice of ham is not the same thing as eating a slice of the plant-based product bearing the same name,\u201d he stresses.<\/p>\n

Last September, European meat producers<\/strong> banded together to launch an online platform, \u201cMeat The Facts<\/a><\/strong>,\u201d in a bid to \u201crestore balance and factual information<\/strong>\u201d for consumers about the meat sector\u2019s impact on health, environment and economy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source and full article: FoodIngredientsFirst<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The row over how to name plant-based products is heating up after European meat and dairy sector stakeholders have come together to criticize plant-based offerings that use meat and dairy terminology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[676,686],"tags":[2327,3258,3375,3377,3374,3376],"class_list":["post-13570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics-waste","category-world-news","tag-avec","tag-birthe-steenberg-en","tag-clitravi","tag-meat-sounding-en","tag-paolo-patruno","tag-stop-meat-sounding-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t