Veggie and vegan brands warned not to ‘rip off’ meat terms on alternative products

“We are concerned about ripping off or mimicking terms in terms of ‘chicken-style’ or ‘vegetarian shredded duck’. Is the duck vegetarian or is it a vegetarian product?

“Twenty per cent of products coming to shelf are vegetarian or vegan products with fantastic credentials.

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“Quite why you have to rip off meat terms, I do not know.”

Vegan and vegetarian representatives however hit back with claims that changes to marketing, packaging and branding would be too costly and time-consuming, with the potential for new terms to make well-known brands ‘unrecognisable’.

They also argued the move would be counter-productive to the government’s environmental aims.

Quorn Foods technical director Geoff Bryant said they had ‘not had a single person complain they have been misled’ in the 30-years since the company was launched.

He said it was actively looking to mimic meat to help drive a conscious food choice towards plant-based alternatives.

Mark Banahan, campaigns and policy officer at the Vegan Society, said: “The sausage part of the name refers to the shape, how they are cooked and what they might be best served with.

“Nothing to do with the content – meat or otherwise.”

Jackie Kearney, chef at Manchester vegan restaurant The Hungry Gecko, said if plant-based products were unable to use a meat ‘style’ or ‘like’ term, labelling would become too wordy.

“Instead of simply saying mock bacon, you would be saying a wheat, gluten-shaped smoky paprika flavoured lump that is sliced thinly,” she said. “It would become quite impossible.”