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Over the summer, the EU Commission reignited the debate on naming restrictions for plant-based foods. As part of the upcoming revision of the CMO Regulation (No. 1308/2013), the Commission has proposed new restrictions on the use of meat-related terms for plant-based products.
The proposal suggests restricting the use of terms such as “meat,” references to specific animal species (e.g. beef, pork, chicken), and selected meat cuts—such as “ribeye,” “flank,” or “bacon” in plant-based food designations. Commonly used terms like “steak,” “sausage,” or the typical Danish “frikadeller” do not currently appear to be included in the proposed restrictions.
For years, the use of dairy-related terms for plant-based products has been restricted under the CMO Regulation, a position confirmed by the CJEU in case C-422/16 (“TofuTown”). More recently, in case C-438/23 (Protéines France), the Court prevented France from introducing national restrictions on the use of meat-related terms for plant-based products. The Court concluded that existing provisions on “fair information” in the Food Information Regulation (No. 1169/2011) already provide sufficient consumer protection.
The current CMO proposal underscores the growing regulatory complexity that food business operators face when naming products that are partially or entirely based on plant ingredients.
The review of the CMO Regulation is part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform planned for post-2027. Read the Commission proposal here.
The EU Parliament’s agriculture committee has voted in favor of the ban, which paves the way for a plenary vote tomorrow October 7. If adopted, the proposal will then move on to trilogue negotiations between the EU Commission, the Council, and the Parliament. More updates to follow!