France can’t ban ‘sausage’ names for plant-based meat, EU top court says

Vegan sausages and burgers have as much right to their names as their meatier counterparts, the European Union’s top court ruled on Friday.

Judges in the Court of Justice said that — where a legally protected name isn’t already being used — EU countries can’t stop companies that make plant-based meat alternatives from calling them “steaks” or “sausages.”

It’s a win for French lobby group Protéines France, which launched a legal challenge last year alongside two other veggie associations and Californias Beyond Meat after the French government banned it from using terms like steak and ham for its plant protein products.

It means that — unless a member country has already created a law defining what a sausage or a burger is — it can’t ban vegan competitors from using generic terms for its meat alternatives.

Judges did, however, say that member countries can intervene if “the specific arrangements for the sale or promotion of a food mislead the consumer,” according to a court statement.

The case is Case C-438/23, Protéines France and Others.