US Senators reintroduce bipartisan bill targeting egg alternative labelling

In the US, Senators John Fetterman and Joni Ernst have reintroduced a bill seeking to restrict the labelling of egg alternative products.

The bicameral bill would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit egg alternative brands from using terms it says are ‘misleading’ to consumers.

Under the Consistent Egg Labels Act, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act would be amended to define the market name for an egg or egg product to mean ‘only if the food is the reproductive output of avian poultry species, including an albumen or yolk that is, or was at any point, encased in a calcium-based shell’.

This would prevent alternative products, such as those made from plant-based ingredients or using precision fermentation techniques, from using the name ‘egg’ in the branding and labelling of their products across the country.

New alternatives would not be permitted to enter the market using ‘egg’ as a product name, and the FDA would be required to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of ‘mislabelled’ egg alternatives within 180 days of enactment.

Senator Fetterman, a member of the Democratic Party serving as senior Senator for Pennsylvania, said the act would help both farmers and consumers by ensuring eggs are “labelled clearly and fairly” in stores.

“In the age-old debate between the chicken or the egg, one thing is for sure: eggs don’t come from plants,” added Senator Ernst, republican Senator from Iowa. “While Iowa farmers work hard to put healthy and affordable eggs on our tables, labeling plant-based products as ‘eggs’ undermines that work.”

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for consideration and will now be subject to a vote determining whether it will progress further.

Currently, there are no legal requirements for egg alternatives to be clearly distinguished from eggs and egg products in the US. If the recent bill becomes law, the FDA would be required to report to Congress two years after enactment on actions taken with respect to ‘misbranded’ egg alternative products.