人造肉要规定命名标准了
What do you call a burger that isn't made of meat? Plant-based options are growing rapidly, but there hasn't yet been a consensus on how to refer to these meatless dishes. The issue, it seems, lies in whether consumers understand these foods best by names that mention the meat-based items they represent—burgers, sausage, bacon, and so on—or if the use of any meat terms is confusing and misleading. Now, the Plant Based Food Association has released its first plant-based meat labeling guide to create consistency across this emerging food sector. The trade association represents more than 160 plant-based food companies, a sign of how the world of meat alternatives has been expanding. The presence of plant-based meats in grocery stores grew by 10% last year, according to the PBFA, and that doesn't even cover the rise of alternatives in restaurants, from the Impossible Whopper to Beyond Fried Chicken. But legislators (and the meat industry groups that support them) in states such as Missouri and Arkansas have had issues with these products, fighting their use of the term "meat" by passing laws that prohibit their labeling as "meat" or with meat terms such as "sausage" if they are not actually from animals. This follows similar battles between the egg industry and faux egg makers and the milk industry and nut milk producers. The PBFA has been fighting these bills, but it still wants to create a labeling standard that is clear across the plant-based category, so that all customers can understand what they're buying. These recently released meat alternative standards do allow for references to the type of animal meat (chicken, sausage, etc.) and the form of the product (nuggets, tenders, burgers) that these plant-based products represent, as long as there is a qualifier that clearly indicates the item is plant-based or vegetarian. Those qualifiers can include phrases such as "plant-based," "vegan," "meatless," "meat-free," "vegetarian," "veggie," "made from plants," and other similar terms. That qualifier also has to be in a prominent position on the display panel, the standards note. |