The Missouri Senate has passed an omnibus spending bill that adopts SB 977, the state bill that prohibits the marketing of plant-based meat analogs with the term “meat.”  The bill has been passed by the Missouri House and now goes to the governor for signing.  The bill had the support of the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, and the Missouri Pork Association and was opposed by the Plant Based Foods Association.

The Missouri law comes on the heels of a similar law that passed on April 13, 2018 in France (Amendment No. CE2044), which prohibits the use of terms including filet, bacon, or sausage to be used for meatless products.

Similarly, Arkansas recently passed a resolution calling for a standard for rice (that would prohibit the marketing of riced cauliflower, for example, as “cauliflower rice”).  At the federal level, the Dairy Pride Act seeks to limit the ability to market non-dairy alternatives to milk with terms like milk, yogurt, and cheese.  These initiatives may mark a trend of increased state and federal activity on standards of identity and naming of foods.