Plant-based alternative to yogurt, it's still allowed thankfully!

Total panic in the Amsterdam supermarkets: the barista oat drink, which you can use to add plant-based foam to your (iced) coffee, is out! The producers have a supply problem. And that's not surprising, because plant-based drinks and products are more popular than ever.

It is therefore at least remarkable that until recently a European proposal (Amendment 171) was on the table that would prohibit the use of 'dairy terms' for vegetable alternatives. The introduction of the proposal would mean that indications such as "vegetable alternative to milk", "vegetable variation of yoghurt" and "substitute for cheese" would no longer be allowed. Also, the packaging of vegetable products would no longer be allowed to have the same look as the dairy products for which they offer an alternative (i.e.: almond drink no longer in a milk carton). The European Parliament withdrew this proposal and thus the ban is off the table.

We knew before that the use of dairy designations such as 'milk', 'yogurt' and 'cream' are not allowed for plant-based products. So 'oat milk' should be 'oat drink'. Alternative for yogurt' is allowed. In 2017 this was decided by the European Court of Justice in the TofuTown ruling.

So with the European proposal, there was brief talk that 'variation' and 'alternative' would also be banned, but there is now a red line through that plan. This success is partly due to ProVeg who started a petition against the proposal, supported by NGOs, various food companies and many concerned consumers.

While producers of plant products breathe a sigh of relief, we wonder how this proposal could have come about in the first place. As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission launched the Farm to Fork strategy through which it aims to make the entire European food system thoroughly sustainable. By adopting Amendment 171, the EU would be taking a step backwards. If you can no longer say soy yoghurt, nor a plant-based alternative to yoghurt, what is left? In order to take major sustainable steps forward, the consumer must be able to (continue to) find plant-based products on the shelves.

Also at odds with the Farm to Fork strategy is the policy of the NVWA regarding the name cauliflower rice. That the product with transparent packaging consists entirely of cauliflower (pieces) does not matter, according to the NVWA; the name would give consumers the misleading impression that they are buying rice. In practice, few consumers will be misled about the composition.

The barista oat milk shortage will hopefully come to an end soon. At least the Amsterdam consumer does not have to worry about recognizable packaging and the name of the popular vegetable drink.

Lisanne Steenbergen