On Tuesday, Missouri became the first state in the union to prohibit the word “meat” on anything but actual animal flesh.
The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association has worked tirelessly for the new law, which forbids “misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.” According to spokesman Mike Deering, “the big issue was marketing with integrity and … consumers knowing what they’re getting.”
But while cattle farmers may be pleased at the change, others are considerably less thrilled at the restriction. Among them, Tofurky. The company that created the eponymous soy meat substitute has filed an injunction, protesting the idea that any consumers have been confused by the term “plant-based meats,” and adding that the word is also used to describe the edible parts of fruit and nuts.
According to the injunction, the law “prevents the sharing of truthful information and impedes competition,” and asserts that “the marketing and packaging of plant-based products reveals that plant-based food producers do not mislead consumers but instead distinguish their products from conventional meat products.”
Tofurky CEO Jaime Athos offered a statement to USA Today, saying:
I have always envisioned Tofurky serving a greater purpose beyond the plate, acting as an engine for global change. Using our privately-held position to extinguish threats to legal definitions of terms like “meat,” is one way we can further our mission to help reduce global dependence on animal agriculture; therefore, improving environmental sustainability, animal welfare and human health.
St. Joseph’s University Assistant Professor of Food Marketing Ernest Baskin sees the terminology as valuable to people who might want to change their diet. “There’s a segment of consumers that doesn’t have to eat alternative products but wants to,” he said. “In those cases, putting those options together in front of consumers gives them the thought that ‘Hey, maybe these two are similar. Maybe I can substitute.'”
It remains to be seen whether the law will, in fact, support traditional livestock. According to Allied Market Research, the meat substitute market brought in almost $4.2 billion last year, and is expected to surpass $7.5 billion by 2025.