Video | One man’s meat: cattlemen fight use of the word for plant-based alternatives to beef in the United States
Existential debate has been sparked in the US food industry by the growing use of the word ‘meat’ to describe things that don’t contain any, such as soy and wheat proteins, and food items such as burger patties made from them
Can a plant-based hamburger, sausage or steak be labelled “meat”? The question has fired up a debate about food labels as United States cattle industry players seed a crackdown on marketing of proteins made from soy and other plant-based substances.
Jessica Almy, policy director of the non-profit Good Food Institute, which promotes meat alternatives, says labels must state clearly whether a product is made from soy or another plant, but they usually make sense in context.
“Regardless of whether it is made of beef, soy, or wheat, a burger tells you it can be cooked on a grill, placed on a bun, and served with mustard and ketchup,” she said.
Almy also sees no alternative to labelling as “meat” new products made from animal cells grown in a laboratory. Such protein offerings are expected to hit supermarkets and speciality shops within the next few years.
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“These are muscles and fat. It would be extremely misleading to call it other than meat,” said Almy says.