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Mississippi Officers Sued For Banning Meat-Like Names For Vegan Options

by Debayan Paul | July 4, 2019

On Monday, two officers of the Mississippi government were sued by a plant-based company, and another organization on the same date the government enacted a ban on using the meat phraseology while naming plant-based foods and other vegan options. The federal lawsuit defends the ban, claiming- preventing the use of terms like ‘vegan bacon’ is a violation of free speech rights. Scroll down and find more about it.

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Mississippi Officers Sued For Banning Meat-Like Names For Vegan Options

On Monday, Mississippi banned the use of terms like “vegan-bacon” and “meatless meatballs” preventing plant-based companies from using the terms for their meat-alternative products. Mississipi is one of the many states that prohibits the use of such terms for alternatives.

Following the ban on Monday, a vegan-food maker, the Illinois-based Upton’s Naturals and Plant-Based Foods Association, on the very same date sued Gov. Phil Bryant and state’s Republican agriculture commissioner, Andy Gipson on the ground of violation or free-speech rights, media outlet Newsweek reports.

The new law declares- “a plant-based or insect-based food product shall not be labeled as meat or a meat food product.” The law also bans labeling lab-grown meat being denoted as ‘meat.’

The Lawsuit; Argument

According to the lawsuit filed, “The ban serves only to create consumer confusion where none previously existed,” Bradenton Herald reports. The federal lawsuit is also backed by a Virginia-based free-market advocacy group Institute for Justice.

Plant-Based Foods Association reportedly stated, “no reasonable consumer would be misled.”  Upton’s Naturals claims in the lawsuit, that the use of terms like bacon or burger “increase consumer understanding of the foods’ characteristics and communicate how the foods should be prepared and eaten.”

GlobalData reportedly states a tremendous spur in the meatless movement. Precisely, in America alone, 600 percent more people are identifying themselves as vegan and opting for vegan options, over the last three years. In a bird’s eye view, the report also states that 70% of the world population is reducing the consumption of meat, according to Newsweek.

The Jolting Resolve?

There is no doubt the unmistakable manifestation of the meatless movement jolts the very resolve of the meat industry. This is visible in the form of ‘meat-label censorship’ (termed by the Good Food Institute) that is evident in twelve US states.

Like Mississippi’s law, some states also prevent meat-alternative producers from using meaty names. States like Louisiana, South Dakota, Arkansas, Alabama, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Montana, and Wyoming are reportedly the States which censor the use of meaty terms.

What do you think about the debate on using meat phraseology for vegan options? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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