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The meat industry and vegan food companies will be back in court in May as they seek legal clarification on whether plant-based foods that resemble meat products are in violation of existing legislation and should be renamed or relabeled, reports Legalbrief. Plant-based labels that included phrases linked to meat, such as ‘meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat and imitation’ were banned according to Government Gazette regulations published in 2019.
An interdict awarded by the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) temporarily halted the seizing of plant-based products in August last year, notes a Fin24 report. Vegan company Fry Family Food Corporation has also instituted its own appeal process against the Red Meat Industry Forum. Preparation for the appeal process will be completed in February. However, Peter Gordon, group CEO at SA Meat Processors Association, said vegan companies must remain ‘honest’ with their labelling. ‘Product labelling must be honest and not be misleading. If a vegan company says that its product approximates chicken, that is false and misleading labelling,’ he said.