Results from a new survey conducted by specialist food PR agency Ingredient Communications, has found that 75 per cent of consumers think that vegan products should be able to use the same names as their meat counterparts.
The debate surrounding the way that vegan meat alternative products are named has been a topic for discussion for some time. Some non-vegans argue that vegan meat-style products shouldn’t carry the same names, such as sausages, burgers and steaks.
However, sausages and burgers aren’t joints of meat, and are processed to form the shape, rather than the term being used to describe a cut of meat.
The survey spoke to 499 people in the UK and 484 people in the US, with vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters and pescatarians being questioned. Surprisingly, meat eaters came out on top as the demographic that were most in favour of alternative products being labelled as meat.
Richard Clarke, managing director at Ingredient Communications, said: “With interest in plant-based diets increasing, and a backlash from the meat industry under way, it is time for a debate about the way vegetarian and vegan products are presented.”
He added: “It’s no secret that many in the meat industry want to stop what they see as the misrepresentation of vegetarian products.”
The way that plant-based food is labelled is nothing new, and many within the meat and dairy industries are pushing for the names of vegan items to be changed, and not compared to animal-based counterparts.
Some people within the industry claim that consumers find it hard to tell the difference and find it misleading, but a survey in 2018 found that 75 per cent of consumers know what they’re buying.
Re: Vegan foods with meat derived names. A good thing for newbies to Vegetarian and Vegan food. Chicken style pieces for egsample, says it all. Use in place of chicken, there is nothing whatsoever misleading about the name or what it is. It makes the “what do I feed them”? easier for those completely new to this healthier and compassionate lifestyle.
Personally, as an old timer, I would prefer not to have my food associated with dead flesh,
The days of making an easy living by exploiting animals will soon be over and excuses will be sought. “Farming Industries went bust because consumers were tricked into buying meat alternatives”. Come on, who’s the real idiots here.
Even when I was a kid, long before I went vegetarian, or even vegan, there were these things called “ham steaks”, “salmon steaks”, even *gasp* “MUSHROOM steaks”?!? Oh, the HORROR!!!
please, they are just looking for an excuse to drive the vegan market out of business while raking in more milions with frivolous lawsuits to make themselves more important and stand on top of the idiots that actually buy into their drivel.
Cows do not look like steaks. Chickens do not look like nuggets. Pigs do not look like bacon. Humans have made them look that way. Now we are making vegetables look that way. What’s the big deal? Money, that’s what. That, plus Power and Control. Nothing more, nothing less.