Meat association in support of correct labelling for plant-based foods

The South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) says they are in support of the recent concerns around the correct labelling of plant-based foods. The Association argues that the products, many of which are imports are misleading for consumers.

In an attempt to address these concerns, the Department of Agriculture recently issued a directive that requires incorrectly labelled products to be withdrawn from shelves until they are correctly labelled.

CEO for The South African Meat Processors Association Peter Gordon explains these kinds of products must be marketed and sold transparently.

“The main ingredient of any product should be the key to the main name that is on the packaging. Now I’ll give you an example, if in the meat industry, we make a lamb based sausage. The biggest ingredient is lamb. We would call it a lamb sausage. But what the vegan industry have tended to do is because people know the meat product by its name, shape and description – they would use terms like beef like sausage and they would have another label on the side saying plant based. To us, that is misleading, the product has no beef in it; it has no reason to be using the name beef on the label,” says Gordon.

SAMPA CEO Peter Gordon explains why its imperative that these products are marketed and sold transparently and honestly: