The French government issued a decree Tuesday banning the term "steak" on the label of vegetarian products, saying it was reserved for meat alone.

The French government issued a decree Tuesday banning the term “steak” on the label of vegetarian products, saying it was reserved for meat alone.

  • @acetanilide@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8•1 year ago

    Wtf. Had to reread the article like 3 times to figure out the mental gymnastics

    So if consumers don’t understand the labels, then how is banning only French producers from using them in France going to help? They still have to read the labels from other areas in Europe…do they think the French companies will make more money if consumers aren’t confused? So they’re trying to stifle imported goods? That’s the only thing I can think of lol i can’t make it make sense

    • @azertyfun@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6•1 year ago

      There’s no “thinking” happening. Only the convergence of two opposite things:

      • French politicians wanted to please the meat industry;
      • The EU free market has a strictly defined set of rules that essentially prevents member states from banning “EU-legal” stuff from being sold in their country (as I understand it – because in practice it’s a very complex topic and the EU is not nearly as overbearing with its laws as “euroskeptics” tend to portray them, like when during COVID borders were completely closed despite far-right parties having spouted for years that Freedom of Movement meant the end of territorial sovereignty and what-have-you).

      Now the politicians got their headlines so they’re happy, and in practice almost nothing changes for the consumer so they’re mostly happy. Ah and the veggie producers get fucked in the process, but the politicians don’t care and the consumers don’t know or care.

      It’s basically the dumb version of the current agricultural protests (the French farmers are pissed, among other things, that their products have to compete with “common EU market” products which were made using lots of cheap pesticides that would be illegal to use in France. Now to be fair it’s not a 1-to-1 comparison because pesticide usage has profound health effects on local populations but you get the idea).

      Either way to avoid unfair treatment of local producers, the government has to either deregulate the industry to match the lowest common EU denominator, or to successfully lobby the EU to raise the requirements everywhere. Or I guess just treat producers unfairly and hope they’ll be able to compete anyway.

      • @SkippingRelax@lemmy.worldEnglish
        -2•1 year ago

        Blocking this at European level requires a completely different path. I wouldn’t be surprised if France tried to do so next, and it would probably get the support of other neighbouring countries that have similar values when it comes to food.

        Not sure what’s all the push against this from this thread though. Is it not okay to call a spade a spade?

        What if we take the opposite approach and look at someone marketing a processed food based on tripe as as vegan friendly corn chunks?

        • @azertyfun@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          5•1 year ago

          I don’t think “vegetarian steak” is a confusing term, especially not intentionally so. It aims to recreate some of the consistency/taste of steak. I also never personally witnessed them packaged in a way that was intentionally confusing: they are in a different isle/stand and use completely different containers (actual meat is in black polystyrene with transparent plastic, vegetarian alternatives are packaged in green polystyrene with a colorful label).

          Now maybe my experience isn’t fully representative, but I’d like proof of deceitful marketing happening before legislating this stuff. Right now what this looks like is culture war bullshit against a made-up problem.

          • @SkippingRelax@lemmy.worldEnglish
            -4•1 year ago

            It’s not a made up problem, bit you are right it might slip I to the culture was bullshit department soon.

            You not thinking that this is confusing is irrelevant, there are more people put there including oldies that don’t bring their fucking glasses at the supermarket with them.

            Point is that countries like France take seriously food mislabelling (in my opinion rightly so), this is nothing different that fake mozzarella, parmigiana or champagne. There are ways to prevent confusing customers, this law is one of them.

            Have your marketing department go crazy with a catchy new name for your amazing plant based creation.

            • ExocrinousEnglish
              1•1 year ago

              there are more people put there including oldies that don’t bring their fucking glasses at the supermarket with them.

              And you think Granny is going to have an easier time understanding “NEW! CHIA SEED STÖRNK” than a steak in a green package?

        • ExocrinousEnglish
          2•1 year ago

          Is it not okay to call a spade a spade?

          Not in France. In France you have to invent a confusing new name for spades.

    • @barsoap@lemm.eeEnglish
      3•1 year ago

      It’s just the standard intersection between domestic and EU law when it comes to food labelling.

      E.g. if you want to sell stuff in Germany as beer that isn’t beer according to German law then you can’t brew it in Germany, it has to be imported and thus fall under common market rules.