Texas House Passes Bill Banning Plant-Based Food Brands From Using “Meat” on Labels

The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning the labeling of “plant-based foods,” as meat, The Hill reported. Food products and foods that do not contain meat cannot use the words “beef” or “meat” on the labels.

House Bill 316 was approved and is intended to prevent companies from misleading consumers, the Dallas News reported.

“This is for those who choose to eat meat, but it’s also for those who choose to not eat meat,” said Texas state Rep. Brad Buckley (R), who also introduced the bill, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Republican state lawmaker Rep. Kyle Biedermann said he supported the bill but was concerned about state overreach. “There shouldn’t be a need to have to legislate more regulation of these other companies when it seems their packaging is pretty clear,” Biedermann said in the Dallas News.

Based on the numbers, it seems like the meat industry is spooked by the astounding growth of meatless products. The growth of meatless products is hard to ignore. Investor predictions put the market for meatless products at $35 billion. When Beyond Meat debuted on the stock market, its stock price went up 163%, making it the most successful IPO of 2019. Impossible Foods has raised $750 million since 2011. Not to mention, a new report from think tank RethinkX predicts the agriculture economy is on the brink of significant change, with the beef and dairy industries set to collapse in 11 years.

Tofurky, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arkansas, the Good Food Institute, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have sued Arkansas and Missouri over labeling requirements. A judge granted a preliminary injunction for the Arkansas law. The PBFA and Upton’s Naturals sued Mississippi last year and later dropped their federal lawsuit after the state revised its labeling regulations. California, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma are some of the other states that have dealt with these laws and lawsuits pertaining to them. The EU is also currently considering Amendment 171, a ban that pushes existing regulations, which already include the prohibition of terms like “vegan cheese” and “oat milk,” to prohibit “imitation or evocation” of dairy products.

Source: Earthling Ed/YouTube

Read more about the plant-based meat labeling battle and the recent ruling on plant-based butter labeling.

Eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

Interested in joining the dairy-free and meatless train? We highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

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