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Joanna Becker-Hawkins, senior regulatory advisor at Ashbury


News this summer of Turkey’s vegan cheese ban and similar bans on meat-like terms used on plant-based products in South Africa and France have concerned both innovators and consumers alike, with questions raised about how manufacturers can continue to make alternatives without mimicking the ‘real thing’. Joanna Becker-Hawkins, senior regulatory advisor at Ashbury, says many consumers have felt confused about the recent rulings, but even with new obstacles, brands can still flourish and thrive in the sector.

“The plant-based industry in general seems to be facing some growing pains, with share prices dropping at many well-known brands, and the UK and EU’s market share not quite reaching the levels that experts were predicting only a year or two ago,” Becker-Hawkins said.

“Whether or not recent developments across the market, such as the banning of certain terms, have impacted this rate of growth is still unknown, but the addition of new restrictions in some markets is certainly another obstacle innovators are facing – especially if further bans are introduced elsewhere.”

In July, the Turkish government announced a ban on the production and sale of vegan cheese in a move that has triggered outrage in the plant and animal advocate community. It’s the latest instance of countries implementing restrictive plant-based food legislation, with South Africa’s Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development also announcing a ban on meat-like terms on plant-based product labels.

Under the new Turkish law, plant-based cheese products must not mimic traditional cheese, including its appearance and marketing styles. However, legislation wording has been deemed unclear by the Vegan Association in Turkey (TVD), which is campaigning against the ruling.

Becker-Hawkins added: “While Turkey joins other countries such as France and South Africa in imposing prohibitive plant-based legislation on terminology and label wording, it’s the first country to ban elements of the production process. This has meant domestic producers can no longer sell vegan cheese, and manufacturing facilities are now subject to inspections.

“It appears as though the ban has been put in place with the purpose of putting a stop to alternatives appearing to be the ‘real thing,’ whilst protecting the dairy industry. However, despite these new challenges, it doesn’t necessarily mean that products will have to be scrapped altogether and there is still plenty that brands in this arena can do to ensure compliance.”

How can brands become (and stay) compliant?

  1. Novel food

All food needs to comply with the legislation of the country in which the product is to be marketed, regardless of the source of the food.

At one end of this market we have innovators who are producing via microbial fermentation using fungi, yeasts, bacteria and other microorganisms, instead of animals, while others are replacing the ‘meat’ element with a plant protein. New processes and techniques — and indeed new sources of ingredients — may mean that the food is ‘novel’ and must seek approval through the novel food process for both the UK and EU.

  1. Product information

Due to the nature of these products, it can be easy for consumers to be misled regarding the true identity and ingredients of a plant-based or meat alternative product.

Therefore clear, concise information on the composition, name of the product and ingredients is required, especially for mandatory information, to ensure the consumer is well informed and could not mistake the product for one that contains either dairy or meat.

Inaccurate or misleading labels can attract costly and timely challenges, such as reformulations and redesigns, as well as significantly impacting the future success of a brand.

  1. Naming products

Naming products or ingredients can be a minefield for those unused to the legislation. Reserved descriptions must be used, and any deviation from consumer expectation needs to be made clear. For example, regulations state you must indicate what a product is, not what it isn’t (so ‘no chick’n’ would not be compliant if used as the name of the food).

Dairy terms — milk, cheese, butter and yogurt — are all protected and must only refer to products derived from animals (with some exceptions e.g. butter beans, peanut butter and custard creams). This has been reinforced recently and we now see phrasing like “soya drink” or “almond fermented speciality with raspberries” and “food slices made with coconut oil”.

Although meat terms don’t currently have the same high level of legislative protections, the recent bans on using meat-like terms to describe plant-based products are seeing this shift.

  1. Using health claims

‘Plant-based’ is not a synonym for ‘healthy’ and food manufacturers should be wary of making bold claims on the label about the health benefits of their products. Controls on nutrition and health claims must still be observed at all times, and all claims used must be substantiated.

Becker-Hawkins concluded: “The product must of course be safe and meet legislative requirements, but product information is one of the most important parts of the new product puzzle – enabling you to bring together all your marketing ambitions with your legal obligations – ensuring you communicate effectively to consumers, and they have what they need to make the best choices for themselves”.

For more information, please visit ashbury.global or contact the team on 0845 459 5019 or at hello@ashbury.global.

#Ashbury #Turkey

Opinion: Navigating legislation on plant-based terminology and label wording

The Plant Base

9 December 2022

Opinion: Navigating legislation on plant-based terminology and label wording

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