Inside UK's 'EU reset deal' that could see major change to popular food products
Some of your favourite ‘meat-flavoured’ snacks may need to undergo a radical rebrand following the UK's agreement to align with the EU’s strict food and drink policy agreement.
Despite what their names suggest, roast beef flavoured Monster Munch, Walkers roast chicken crisps, and chicken and mushroom Pot Noodles don’t contain any meat - they’re actually vegetarian.
However, this may be their downfall as Labour’s new EU Reset Deal may force British manufacturers to change labels.
Last week, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a provisional agreement to ban 31 animal-associated words from appearing on plant-based foods.
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The ‘landmark move’ means veggie items and vegan products can no longer use ‘chicken’, ‘beef’, or ‘pork’ to describe their items.
What’s more, ‘breast’ and ‘drumstick’ cannot be used in plant-based labelling either.
The proposal still needs the backing of the European Commission and the governments of the 27 member states to enter into official force, as per The Express.
If passed, British snack manufacturers will likely have to follow suit and rename their products despite Brexit.
This is because the UK is continuing to negotiate a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with Brussels.
The agreement, together with the Windsor Framework, is designed to ‘make it easier, cheaper and more predictable for goods to move not just between the UK and the EU, but also within the UK itself’, as per the official government website.
The deal is a core component of the UK-EU ‘Reset Deal’, engineered to address recent frictions that have emerged between the UK and the European Union.
This agreement may cause the animal-associated word ban to be enforced in Britain as early as 2027.
The Express reported that the rules could put pressure on the UK's £5.4billion-a-year savoury snack industry, with favourites such as Smith’s Bacon Fries likely to be hit.
WePlanet, a green campaign group, has expressed dismay at the idea that ‘Classic British snacks could soon be snatched out from under our noses’.
Joel Scott-Halkes, director of impact at WePlanet, continued: “British consumers aren’t idiots.
“After generations of enjoying beloved products like Smith’s Bacon Fries or chicken and mushroom Pot Noodles, we don’t need Brussels bureaucrats policing what we call them.
“It’s time for [Sir Keir] Starmer to intervene and save our snacks.”
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Leader of the Conservative Party, has also expressed his opinion regarding the meaty snack proposal.
As well as accusing the Labour Government of ‘slowly trying to slide back into Europe through the back door’, he explained that if ‘people want to be able to say something has a meaty taste, what's it got to do with these know-nothing bureaucrats?
“It's absurd," he added.
The plant-based product ruling comes amid official notice that Oatly can no longer use the phrase ‘Post-Milk Generation’ in its advertising.
Bryan Carroll, the general manager for Oatly UK & Ireland, alleged the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively ‘ban’ the phrase would creat ‘unnecessary confusion and an uneven playing field for plant-based products that solely benefits Big Dairy’.
“In our view, prohibiting the trademarking of the slogan ‘Post Milk Generation’ for use on our products in the UK is a way to stifle competition and is not in the interests of the British public.”
He added that the company will ‘always stand up for what is right’ and that staff will ‘find a way to get’ its ‘Post-Milk Generation’ merchandise into the hands of its ‘brilliant community’.
Ella Scott