Netherlands cracks down on ‘plant-based mince’ as dispute over meat labels intensifies
27 okt. 2025
12:06
The Dutch food regulator is invoking an old law to ban “plant-based mince” labels, as rising right-wing politics and meat lobby influence appear to be stirring a new battle over who gets to call something “meaty.”
The Dutch food regulator has ruled that terms like “plant-based mince” and “vegetarian gehakt” are off the menu – citing a law written long before oat milk or vegan burgers went mainstream.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) recently warned several companies for using “gehakt” (Dutch for “minced meat”) on vegetarian or vegan products. The agency says the word is a “reserved name”, a decree that defines “gehakt” strictly as minced meat from slaughtered ani...