ProVeg calls French ban on “meaty” names sabotage

The French decree banning “meaty” names for plant-based foods will only serve to further encourage the animal agriculture industry at a time when the consumption of meat needs to be reduced, food awareness organisation ProVeg International has said.

Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from animal agriculture are twice those from plant-based diets, so policies need to be pushed that encourage plant-based nutrition, the organisation argued.

“When those responsible for one fifth of all GHGs globally are allowed by governments to increase their share of emissions, pollution, land, water and animal use, by actively making it harder for consumers to make informed and lower-carbon choices, we need to ask our politicians some tough questions. The fossil fuel industry needs to be reformed, and so does the meat, dairy, egg and seafood industries,” Jasmijn de Boo, vice president of ProVeg International, said.

A shift towards plant-based diets to bring down CO₂ and methane emissions is vitally important for meeting the climate targets set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“The French decree banning plant-based foods from using words like “meat” and “sausage” protects and promotes animal-based diets. But the latest IPCC report makes it clear that a shift to plant-based diets will help tackle the climate crisis,” de Boo said.

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