/>i- On May 2, 2025, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that designations referring to animal species are not allowed to label plant-based meat substitutes (here is the official press release, in French, 2C_26/2023). The full judgment is not yet available, so we cannot provide a more in-depth analysis of the arguments of Switzerland’s supreme judges, and the information below is based solely on the press release.
- In 2021, the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory banned a company from labelling its pea protein meat substitutes with names referring to animal species; the company appealed this ban, and the Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich decided in its favor in 2022, allowing the use of references to animal meat in its products. However, in its judgment of May 2, 2025, the Federal Supreme Court upheld the appeal filed by the Federal Department of Home Affairs, annulling the first instance decision of the Zurich Administrative Court and thus ruling against the company.
- According to the press release, food products destined for consumers made exclusively with vegetable proteins (i.e., those usually defined as ‘plant-based meat’) cannot be designated by names of animal species, even if these are accompanied by an indication specifying the vegetable origin of the product, such as ‘planted chicken,’ ‘chicken-like,’ ‘pork-like,’ ‘vegan pork,’ or ‘vegan chicken.’ In fact, the term ‘chicken’ refers to poultry; therefore, it cannot be used for products that do not contain a meat component, as it would be misleading for consumers. In other words, plant-based products alternative to meat must be labelled in such a way as to enable the consumer to recognize the type of foodstuff and to differentiate it from products that they aim to substitute.
The Swiss Federal Supreme Court Bans References to Animals in Plant-based Foods
Saturday, May 31, 2025
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