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Vegan Cheese Shop in Canada Told to Stop Using the Word Cheese

by Julie Nealon | February 21, 2019

A little vegan cheese shop in Canada has been ordered to stop using the word ‘cheese’ to market their products. Blue Heron, a plant based cheese shop in Vancouver, was told to stop using the word cheese to describe their vegan cheese by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CIFA.

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Vegan Cheese Shop in Canada Told to Stop Using the Word Cheese

An email sent to the company from a CIFA staff member stated that they had received ‘complaints about products being labeled as cheese when they are allegedly not.’ According to Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail, the company was also told that they could no longer use hyphenated modifiers such as; dairy-free, plant-based, vegan cheese, either.

The labeling of vegan products as ‘meat,’ ‘cheese,’ or ‘milk’ by plant-based companies has seen some backlash from the meat and dairy industry. Dairy-free producers are now left wondering what they can and cannot call their products.

The meat and dairy industries are undoubtedly feeling the heat from the ever-growing plant-based food sector, even the food guide in Canada recommends to eat fewer animal products. The meat and dairy industries we’re not happy about those new guidelines at all.

Tom Koostra, Chairman of Alberta Milk, told the Calgary Explorer in an interview, that he feels that Health Canada is targeting animal-based products unfairly and that they are promoting plant-based options for ideological reasons.

In the US, some states are starting to regulate the use of the word ‘meat.’ In France, they passed a law prohibiting the use of any meat or dairy related terminology for plant-based foods, claiming that labels are misleading for consumers.

Vegan cheese makers in Canada say that the guidelines for naming their products are unclear, vague and inconsistent. Leaving them unsure of how to move ahead with labeling their products.

So if they can’t use the phrases plant-based cheese, vegan cheese, non-dairy-cheese, or cheeze, what on earth are they supposed to call their product? Solidified nut juice blocks?

What’s your take on banning vegan cheese shop in Canada from using the word cheese? Let me know in the comments below.

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