Plant-based meat labelling ban suspended in France, but Italian companies remain uncertain

The French labelling decree banning ‘meaty’ terms such as steak for plant-based products has been suspended by the Conseil d’Etat, meaning it will no-longer come into force as planned at the beginning of May.

The suspension rested on two key factors:

1. The legality of the decree in the context of EU law has been questioned, which is why it is currently being considered by the European Court of Justice.

2. The law would cause acute damage specifically to French plant-based companies, and significantly disadvantage them versus plant-based products imported from companies elsewhere in the EU that would not be subject to such restrictions.

More broadly, this precedent is significant for other countries which have or are contemplating similar labelling restrictions. In Italy, where restrictions were passed into law at the end of last year but are yet to be enforced.  Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has indicated that ongoing decisions as to whether to revise the ban would look to developments in France, and has previously been on record stating that hurting Italian companies is ‘the last thing he wants to do’.

Francesca Gallelli, Policy Consultant at the Good Food Institute Europe, commented: “The findings of the French Conseil d’Etat, regarding the possible incompatibility of the labelling ban with European law, make the need to repeal the Italian law and restore legal certainty even more urgent. It is essential that companies can return to carrying out their business and marketing in peace, and that freedom of choice is preserved for consumers, facilitated by clear labels with familiar terms.”