I’d been feeling a little insecure lately, what with North Korea and Iran trying to build nuclear weapons, China preparing to blockade the South China Sea and climate change raising ocean levels. Who wouldn’t be worried? But that all went away when I realized the U.S. Congress is taking action to protect me from the existential threat of plant-based meats. Now, we can all sleep easy.
Instead of Congress dealing with Kim Jong-un or Xi Jinping or global temperatures, our House of Representatives has introduced the “Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019.” Now, whenever government uses words like “real” and “truthfully” in a law, you know we’re in for trouble – – and this one’s no exception.
The hottest thing in food these days is plant-based meats: Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat, Veggie Burgers and others. And we all know what they are – – plant-based foods that emulate beef. But Congress thinks we can’t figure that out, so they’re going to pass the “Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019” which will force the plant-based meat producers to put the word “imitation” on their product so you and I won’t be confused
Let’s take a look at this and see how it works. Currently, Impossible Burger’s label describes its product like this:
Plant-Based Burger Patties
OK, simple enough. But under the new law, Impossible Burger’s label will have to say this:
Imitation Plant-Based Burger Patties
Imitation Plant-Based Burger Patties? Now, I am confused. Are they saying these aren’t real Plant-Based Burger Patties? Maybe they’re actually made from meat? Or recycled plastic? Or maybe I should go back to worrying about North Korea and China. Or maybe worry about the mental state of Congress.
The Food Lawyers® Take
Like in the Wizard of Oz, if you look behind the curtain you’ll see that the “Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019” is sponsored by Congressman Robert Marshall from Kansas (big beef producing state) and the beef lobby. Congressman Marshall and everyone else know that if there is anything no one wants in their food, it’s something that’s “Imitation.” When was the last time you bought any “imitation pasteurized process cheese food”? (That stuff actually exists.) The goal of the “Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019” isn’t to protect the public, it’s to protect the beef industry by making plant-based burgers appear to be loaded with something we don’t want – – imitation.
But this is nothing new. Up until 1955, it was illegal to sell yellow margarine in the U.S. because people might “confuse” it with butter. So people had to buy white margarine and a yellow dye pack that they mixed together in the kitchen. In 1955, Congress gave up the game and let industry sell yellow margarine.
The Bottom Line: Thirty years in food law have shown me, time and again, that as long as we have politics mixed in with our food, we’ll have stuff like the “Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019” pushed onto our plates. It will hamper the plant-based food industry for a while until everyone gets tired of it and then the law will be repealed, like the case of white margarine. But, all of this reminds us of the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. The beef lobby has the cash to “contribute” to Congressional campaigns and buy the result they want. And the rest of us have to put up with nonsense like white margarine and “imitation” plant-based burger patties.
The guy who said “follow the money” was right. If you follow the money, it will lead you to the real truth – – not an imitation.