On Monday, Jan. 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance on labeling plant-based foods that are marketed and sold as alternatives to conventional animal products and a public comment period is open.
“Because definitions and standards of identity have not been established for plant-based alternatives, these foods are non-standardized foods and must be labeled with their common or usual names, or in the absence thereof, a statement of identity that accurately describes the food,” according to the draft guidelines.
According to the FDA, consumer demand for plant-based alternatives to animal products including eggs, seafood, poultry, meat, and dairy has increased over time. The total U.S. retail plant-based food dollar sales grew from $5.5 billion in 2019 to $8.1 billion in 2023.
“Consumers should be able to easily see and determine the particular plant source when looking at the name of the food on the label,” the document says.
Currently there are no established guidelines for labeling plant-based alternative meat products and the draft of the guidelines aims to answer several questions including:
- What should be included in the statement of identity for a plant-based alternative food that also includes the name of a food that has an established definition and standard of identity (e.g., “cheddar cheese”)?
- What are important considerations when using “plant-based [animal derived food]” (e.g., “plant-based fish nuggets,” “plant-based sausage,” etc.) as part of the name for plant-based alternative foods?
- How should plant-based alternative foods that are blends of different plant sources be labeled?
- What are important considerations when using “[animal or meat]-free” or “non[animal or meat]” in the labeling of plant-based alternative foods?
- What are important considerations when using a modified spelling, such as Chik’N, Be’f, Cheeze, as a name for plant-based alternative foods?
- How should the statement of identity appear on the label?
- What are important considerations when labeling plant-based alternative foods as “vegan” or “meat-free”?
- Can vignettes or other statements be used to convey characterizing flavors?
Public comments are being accepted through May 5, 2025. Use this link to review document and comment.
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