Animal exploiters torpedo labelling for plant-based products
The FSVO wants to ban designations such as “vegan minced meat.” The meat lobby is torpedoing clear labelling of plant-based products.
The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) proposes that products of plant origin must not be associated with animal species on their packaging.
According to a recent media report, the regulation states the following: «The naming of the animal species, such as beef, veal, or tuna, is not permitted, even if accompanied by a reference to the plant-based origin.» PETA sees this as an attempt by the meat and dairy industry to manipulate the market for plant-based products through government bodies in order to protect its own profit interests.The animal rights organisation is calling for an end to this regulation, since neither meat nor dairy products necessarily need to come from animals.
Fewer and fewer people want to eat animal carcasses processed beyond recognition or products derived from animal ingredients. The meat and dairy lobby claims that product names such as “veggie sausage” or “vegan yoghurt alternative” would confuse consumers, as they might assume these contain meat or dairy rather than plant-based ingredients. Yet a study has already been conducted demonstrating that 95% of customers do not mistake a tofu sausage for a dead animal. The real consumer deception takes place on the packaging of animal products: one sees happy animals or labels such as “farm” and “nature” — distracting from suffering and death.
Ilana Bollag on behalf of PETA Switzerland.
Market for plant-based products is booming
A steadily growing number of people are choosing a healthy plant-based diet.Instead of animal meat and cheese, climate-friendly and cruelty-free products are increasingly landing in shopping baskets.As a result, sales of plant-based foods are rising rapidly. It is good business for the climate and animal welfare is booming – more and more consumers are becoming aware that animals do not need to be exploited for our food and killed in agonizing ways in slaughterhouses.
The problem: Due to insufficient labeling, many consumers still accidentally reach for animal products. A ban on descriptive product names such as «vegan minced meat» or «milk alternative» would therefore create additional confusion rather than transparency. Few people could probably make sense of «chickpea fiber patty filled with soy cold cuts» when vegan cordon bleu is a far more accurate and understandable product name.
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