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Cabbage meatballs and mushroom cutlets can also disappear after domestic rum

For more than ten years, Czechs have lived without spreadable butter and for more than two decades without domestic rum. With the European legislation came changes in the names of some popular foods, regardless of how experienced they were. Now other classic delicacies may also disappear.

Already in December, organizations and companies began to express themselves loudly about the decree. While according to the Ministry, the Food and Agrarian Chamber and the majority of meat processors, it is correct that traditional names should be preserved only for meat, organizations supporting a plant-based diet consider it bureaucratic bullying.

The Trade and Tourism Association, the Chamber of Commerce and companies such as Nestlé and Emco are also against the current form of the decree.

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According to the ministry, the decree is intended to help consumers find their way around better and to prevent possible deception and confusion. It is also about adapting to the regulations of the European Union. The decree is also intended to specify the quality requirements for meat products.

For example, he defines a burger abbreviated as: “Meat semi-finished product or meat product heat-treated for direct consumption from minced, minced or minced meat.” The color on the surface is light or dark red. The distinct smell of fresh meat, lightly spiced.”

But why couldn’t there be a vegetable burger? Critics defend themselves. “The problem is that the ministry did not conduct any analysis and does not provide evidence that consumers would be confused by the existing label,” said Jana Pavelková, spokeswoman for ProVeg International.

“The adoption of legal names would make it impossible to use established labels for plant products, which would, on the contrary, lead to a deterioration in consumer awareness. Names such as soy sausage or bean burger intuitively inform shoppers about the shape, taste and use of the product,” she added.

According to a YouGov survey for ProVeg Czech Republic, seven out of ten respondents agree with names such as “vegetable sausage” or “soy sausage”.

In contrast, meat processors consider some names to be historically established and clearly intended for meat products.

“Vegetable sausages do not have any qualitative parameters and often cannot be compared with a sausage made from meat, even from a nutritional point of view. Soy is a very strong allergen for many consumers,” said the Czech Association of Meat Processors in a press release.

According to him, it is not a problem to create a new name for plant-based sausages, such as Duo bars or paired bars. Some names are even considered by the association to be attempts by manufacturers of plant alternatives to steal the traditional names of animal products.

“Plant alternatives have a different composition and nutritional value than their animal counterparts. However, the consumer may think that the product fulfills the same role in nutrition. In our opinion, people should know what they have on their plate. We find it laughable to reject animal products and then create copies of them,” said Marek Zemánek, spokesman for the Food Chamber.

After the publication of the article, Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) responded with a post on the X network. “I have a number of comments on the proposal and will proceed with common sense. Cabbage meatballs will remain as a traditional dish with this label. Where it is not a traditional dish, I propose the label ‘vegetable alternative’ so that everyone knows what they are buying,” he said. The decree could therefore still take a milder form.

“Bureaucratic Bullying”

Organizations that support a plant-based diet also point out that the decree puts Czech producers of plant-based alternatives at a fundamental disadvantage on the foreign market.

“While the amendment wants to ban these names for products manufactured and put on the market in the Czech Republic, producers from other countries will be able to continue using these names. This threatens the competitiveness of Czech producers and disrupts economic competition,” added Pavelková.

The amendment cannot prohibit such marking to foreign importers.

“This unnecessary and unthought-out bureaucratic bullying will bring significant costs for producers of plant products, and therefore the necessity of price increases for consumers,” says Pavelková.

As early as 2023, manufacturers of plant-based food had to drop, for example, words such as milk or yogurt. Today, soy drinks and desserts are sold instead. In addition, the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Service focused, for example, on alternatives to tuna, honey or eggs. The non-tuna is thus made into vők, the non-honey is syrup, and the non-eggs are a vegetable substitute for eggs.

“At the moment, comments on the draft amendment to the decree, which the ministry received as part of the interdepartmental comment procedure, are being processed,” said the ministry’s spokesman, Vojtěch Bílý.

There are probably a lot of comments, so much can still change. The current schedule assumes that the amendment could enter into force in July, but comments from other member countries may delay it.

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