Netherlands cracks down on ‘plant-based mince’ as dispute over meat labels intensifies

The Dutch food regulator has ruled that terms like “plant-based mince” and “vegetarian gehakt” are off the menu – citing a law written long before oat milk or vegan burgers went mainstream.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) recently warned several companies for using “gehakt” (Dutch for “minced meat”) on vegetarian or vegan products. The agency says the word is a “reserved name”, a decree that defines “gehakt” strictly as minced meat from slaughtered animals.

That decree, which dates back to July 1998, makes it illegal to market any other product using a reserved term unless it meets the law’s definition – in this case, meat from an actual animal.

If producers fail to comply, the NVWA can enforce the name change through fines or penalty payment, reports Dutch news outlet EenVandaag.

The war on meaty labels

The crackdown comes amid a broader political shift in the Netherlands.

With right-wing and pro-farmer parties like Geert Wilders’ PVV and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB) gaining power, the political mood has swung toward protecting traditional agriculture and “Dutch food identity.”

While there’s no direct evidence that Wilders’ bloc influenced the NVWA’s decision, the current climate arguably lowers the barrier for action that favors meat producers. In short: same law, different politics.

Despite a shift to pro-farmer politics in the country, Rutger Rozendaal, CEO at The Vegetarian Butcher, a plant-based meat brand, was shocked by the NVMA’s decision.

"We didn't see this coming,” Rozendaal told EenVandaag. “We never get complaints about it from consumers. So it was a shock when the letter with the warning arrived.”

The NVWA insists its hands are tied by the existing legal framework. To change the rule, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport would need to amend the decree itself – a process that could take months or even years.

The controversy adds the Netherlands to a growing list of countries wrestling over “meaty” branding. France has tried to ban words like “steak” and “sausage” on vegan packaging, while the EU Parliament recently approved a proposal to limit the use of certain terms like "burger" and "egg yolk" for plant-based products.

Lobby pressure?

At the time of the EU proposal, Rob De Schutter, a representative from environmental NGO WePlanet, told Impact Loop that it was a “clear case of overreach driven by meat lobby pressure.”

In 2024, a joint investigation by Unearthed and Dutch outlet Follow the Money revealed that a livestock industry–funded lobbying campaign played a key role in shaping Europe’s growing political resistance to lab-grown meat.

Whatever the reason, for now, Dutch shoppers may soon find a new wave of oddly rebranded products – “veggie crumble,” anyone? – as food producers scramble to comply with a law perhaps not fit for a world where plant-based products are becoming staple.