France Just Made A Big Change To The Name Of Its Plant-Based 'Meats'
France has long had an issue with different product names being misused — they've adamantly tried to protect what they see as an erosion of their language. Académie Française — established in 1635 — is an organization of 40 members who oversee the French language and have gone to extremes to protect it from being invaded by new terms, especially English words. Some banned words include "blog," "hashtag," and "podcast." Instead, they're given Gallic alternatives. These restrictions include broadcast music, which must be 40% in French by law (via Day Translations).
A rosé by any other name is...still a rosé. However, sparkling or bubbly are wines formerly known as champagne — unless, of course, it is actually produced in the French region of Champagne. The French court even has the power to ban what you name your baby (via The Local). Now, it seems that France has an issue with how plant-based meat companies are naming products.
The French meat industry rejoices at name ban
Beyond Meat's CEO, Ethan Brown, said that the plant-based meat industry predicts that it will grow by up to 35% over the next few years. Yet, that financial information isn't shifting the stance of French etymologists, who say that terms such as steak, bacon, and sausage refer to food items produced by animal products and should not be on anything plant-based — this goes for fish as well (bye-bye tuna steak!). This official ruling has come as welcome news in the French meat industry (via Food & Wine).
According to Vegan Food & Living, this ban comes at a time when the world should be eating less meat in order to reduce the carbon footprint created by the farming industry to meet the demand. This ban is something the meat industry has been lobbying for several years now across the European Union.
The ban was announced in France on June 30 and is expected to take effect by October 2022. The ban currently only impacts plant-based meats manufactured in France and not imports (via Food & Wine).