EU-aligned labelling rules could bar "smoky bacon" crisps from UK shelves
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A post-Brexit food and drink agreement will require the UK to adopt EU labelling standards that prohibit meat-related terms for plant-based snacks, potentially affecting products such as smoky bacon crisps and vegetarian steak.
Under a food and drink deal negotiated by the UK government, Britain will align its food labelling regulations with those of the European Union. The agreement includes a list of 31 meat-related terms, such as "steak," "chicken" and "bacon," that cannot be used to describe vegetarian products. The rules are slated to take effect in three years and aim to prevent consumer confusion.
Manufacturers of plant-based snacks, including Walkers, may need to rename flavours like "smoky bacon" crisps or alter recipes, which could raise costs and affect suitability for vegetarians. Similar restrictions would apply to items marketed as "vegetarian steak" or "pork" Pot Noodles.
"Yet again, we see the practical drawbacks of Labour’s cosying up to the EU. When 17.4 million UK citizens voted to leave the EU, it wasn’t so they could subsequently tell us what to put in a Walkers crisp packet," said Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group of Brexiteer Tory MPs.
Animal-rights groups have criticised the measures as unnecessary. Dawn Carr of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals argued that truthful labelling would require dairy to be called "cow lactation fluid" and eggs "chicken ova."
The Food and Drink Federation welcomed the broader trade benefits of the deal but warned that the new labelling rules could hinder growth in the UK plant-based sector. Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer at the FDF, said the UK will have to comply with EU food laws even for products that do not trade with the bloc and called for UK interests to be considered in future EU policy making.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on speculative scenarios, noting that the deal could generate up to £5.1 billion annually for the UK economy by reducing red tape.
Negotiators have secured limited carve-outs, including a transition period for gene-edited crops, and the agreement is expected to streamline border checks on animal and plant products moving between Great Britain, the Crown Dependencies and the EU.