JUST IN: EU considers extending 'meaty labels' ban to lab-grown products
EU lawmakers are weighing a ban on calling lab-grown products “meat,” a move that could hit the emerging alternative protein sector.
.png)
Last year October, the European Parliament approved a proposal to limit the use of certain traditional meat terms like "burger" and "sausage" for plant-based products.
And now, the EU is considering taking extending the proposed ban to lab-grown or "cultivated" meat as well, Euractiv reports.
"Commission lawyers are exploring a legal pathway to restrict meat-related terms for lab-grown foods," the publication wrote.
If the ban does go ahead it could deal a big blow to Europe's cultivated meat startups, the best-funded of which include Dutch companies Mosa Meat and Meatable.
Måns Ullerstam, CEO at foodtech investor Kale United, previously called the decision to ban mearty labels for plant-based meat “crazy.”
“What about words like ‘coconut milk’? Those should also be banned? They also imply that it contain milk,” he wrote in a text message to Impact Loop at the time.
The proposed ban is currently under negotiation within the European Commission and the Council, which must also approve the ban before it becomes law.
Get full access to Europe's new platform for impact news
- Quality journalism, interviews, investor profiles and deep-dives
- Daily newsletter with top stories, latest funding rounds and roundup to keep you in the loop
Keep reading – get in the loop!
- Håll dig i loopen med vårt dagliga nyhetsbrev (gratis!)
- Full tillgång till daglig kvalitetsjournalistik med allt du behöver veta inom impact
- Affärsnätverk för entreprenörer och investerare med månatliga meetups
Fortsätt läsa – kom in i loopen!
- Håll dig i loopen med vårt dagliga nyhetsbrev (gratis)!
- Full tillgång till daglig kvalitetsjournalistik med allt du behöver veta inom impact
- Affärsnätverk för entreprenörer och investerare med månatliga meetups
