Alternative protein brands like v2food and Sanitarium will face a new industry code limiting animal imagery and the use of ‘meaty’ descriptions, despite research showing Australian consumers can confidently tell between real meat and plant-based products.
Plant-based meat, dairy, and egg substitutes are now commonplace on supermarket shelves, providing alternatives to Australians who abstain from animal products for health, religious, or ethical reasons.
But some farming industry groups, including the National Farmers Federation, argue marketing terms likening alternative proteins to animal products could mislead consumers at the checkout.
Those concerns propelled a Senate committee enquiry, which in 2022 recommended the…