SOUTH AFRICA | A significant victory for plant-based communities and businesses in South Africa has been made as the courts ruled against a government plan to remove plant-based products from supermarket shelves.
Attempting to remove these alternatives was justified by the use of 'meat-like' names on the labels, such as nuggets, burgers, or sausage.
Before this landmark decision, a two-year court interdict had been in place, temporarily preventing seizures. With the verdict now in, plant-based alternatives can breathe a sigh of relief, no longer facing the threat of business loss.
The Johannesburg High Court's decision will allow 'meat-like' names to remain on South African shelves and retain their present naming and labelling conventions.
The plant-based industry in South Africa is celebrating this significant win as the court ruling paves the way for the continued use of 'meat-like' names on plant-based products, further fueling the popularity of meat alternatives.
Brands such as Fry's Urban Vegan, Beyond Meat and On the Green Side have seen an immense surge in popularity within South Africa.
After the Department of Agriculture in South Africa banned the use of meat-related names in 2022, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa immediately sought an interdict to stop the Food Safety Agency from seizing meat analog products.
Donovan Will, director of ProVeg South Africa, stated that because plant-based meat alternatives are a young industry, they are expected to face nuance and confusion.
Regulating a new industry can be complicated, particularly when it slots into the food and agriculture sector. ProVeg sees this as an opportunity to leverage our international expertise and work with businesses and the government to ensure the successful and sensible regulation of these products and grow the industry as a bedrock for healthier alternatives and a job provider.
The plant-based sector in Italy, Spain, and France is facing similar pushback due to the possibility that 'meat-like' labels are misleading customers.
Earlier in the year, the French government issued a decree banning using terms such as bacon, ham, and filet to describe plant-based products.
The decree also specified the maximum amount of plant protein added to certain foods, but the labels still used animal product terms.
In South Africa, alt-seafood is also being scrutinised due to the rise of imitation fish products and the fact that they could be misleading.
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