French delegates have decided that vegetarian and vegan products may no longer contain ‘meaty’ name supplements or names that imply animal origin.

It was decided at the end of April that marketing non-meat products with ‘meat language’ could confuse consumers.

Examples of terms that may no longer be used in France include ‘vegetarian sausages’ and ‘meatless bacon’.

The same restrictions apply to dairy language with phrases such as ‘cashew cheese’ and ‘soy milk’ no longer being appropriate.

Manufacturers who do not comply with this new regulation must expect fines of up to 300,000 euros.

French delegate and farmer, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, proposed this new scheme in order to better inform consumers about their food.

He commented: “It is important to take action against false statements. Our products must be correctly marked: the terms cheese or steak are reserved for products of animal origin.”

The control procedure has not yet been completed. An implementing regulation is set to draw up and publish a list of designations which may no longer be used in the future.