Post-Brexit Trade Agreement Puts UK Plant-Based Labelling at Risk
The Labour government's new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the European Union, secured earlier this year, has created an unexpected consequence for Britain's food industry. While the deal allows British businesses to export products like burgers and sausages to the EU for the first time since Brexit, it also ties the UK to certain EU food labelling regulations.
The European parliament voted last month to prohibit the use of meat-related terms such as 'burger' or 'sausage' on plant-based product packaging. This week, the European Commission and governments of the 27 member states will decide whether this amendment becomes binding law across the bloc.
Automatic Application to UK Businesses
If the amendment passes, the UK government believes it would automatically apply to British businesses under the terms of the trade agreement. The Food Standards Agency has reportedly informed stakeholders that UK companies would be subject to these new EU rules on plant-based labelling if adopted.
The 'common understanding' between the UK and EU states that exceptions could only be agreed if they don't lead to lower standards compared to EU rules and don't negatively affect EU goods being placed on the UK market. Government sources indicated that these clauses would be undermined if the UK didn't adopt a labelling ban implemented in the EU.
A government spokesperson confirmed that ministers had chosen to align in some areas where it made national sense, though specific details remain subject to negotiation. The SPS deal could potentially add up to £5.1bn annually to the UK economy by cutting costs and reducing red tape.
Industry Reactions and Controversy
Joel Scott-Halkes, head of campaigns at WePlanet, criticised the proposed ban, stating: "The only confusion over plant-based food labelling in Europe is exactly which shadowy livestock lobby is behind it. There's no genuine, citizen-driven demand to ban veggie burgers or sausages."
The proposal has sparked significant controversy across Europe. Major supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, fast-food chain Burger King, and sausage producer Rügenwalder Mühle jointly expressed concern that banning familiar terms would make it "more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions."
Support for the ban has come from the French meat industry and similar discussions have occurred in Italy. German chancellor Friedrich Merz notably declared: "A sausage is a sausage. Sausage is not vegan."
Riley Jackson, associate director of commercial at cultivated meat company Ivy Farm Technologies, argued: "Consumers today are savvy and capable of making informed choices. We've had black bean burgers and veggie sausages on shelves for decades."
The amendment was drafted by French centre-right MEP Céline Imart, who is also a cereals farmer. She defended the proposal, stating: "A steak, an escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock, not laboratory art nor plant products. There is a need for transparency and clarity for the consumer."
As the EU prepares for its crucial vote this week, UK food manufacturers and consumers await clarity on whether familiar terms like 'veggie burger' will remain on British supermarket shelves or become casualties of post-Brexit trade alignment.
