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Poll: Is it OK to call plant-based food items “meat”?

First there were objections to the labelling of plant-based milk, and now that plant-based meat substitutes are on the rise, questions are being asked about the marketing of these products.

In New Zealand recently, the Commerce Commission warned Hell Pizza that its recent advertising of the “Burger Pizza” was likely to have breached the Fair Trading Act 1986, after several complainants said they believed the product included meat, when it was in fact made from plant-based protein.

The Commission felt that by describing the product as a “burger pizza” which was “loaded with chunks of medium-rare burger patty”, Hell has likely making false or misleading representations.

The advertising was later amended to “medium-rare Beyond MeatTM burger patty.”

Similarly, as plant-based milk sales soared, dairy farmers asked governments that the word “milk” be reserved for milk from mammals, arguing that the labelling could mislead consumers.

What do you think? Are consumers likely to confuse a plant-based item for meat, if it contains the word “meat” or “meaty” and is found in the meat section?

Let us know your thoughts below.

[yop_poll id=”63″]

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