The Ulster Farmers' Union has called for the introduction of labelling legislation to protect traditional meat terms such as 'bacon' and 'steak'.
At the most recent UFU legislation committee meeting, farmer members expressed frustration at the labelling of plant-based products using such terms.
In addition, there was concern over the volume of advertisements for meat alternatives seen on TV screens over the last month.
As of present, there are no ‘meat-related’ legislation bans, and meat terms do not have the same level of legislative protections as dairy products.
In 2017, the European Court of Justice reserved use of the term 'milk' only for milk of animal origin.
Furthermore, except where expressly provided, EU law reserves the use of the terms 'cream', 'butter', 'cheese' and 'yoghurt' for milk-based products only.
The UFU said it would like to see labelling legislation revised to further protect customary and traditional meat terms, such as ‘bacon’, ‘steak’ and ‘goujon.’
Currently, for a product to be in breach of the labelling regulations such as the General Food Regulations 2004 and the Food Safety Act 1990, it must be classed as misleading to a customer.
"The difficulty comes with trying to prove to Trading Standards Agency that the product has in fact misled the average consumer," said Sarah Morrell, UFU policy officer.
"For the most part it is always clear which products are plant-based and which are not."
She added: "Retailers are now moving meat alternative products away from ‘vegetarian and vegan’ sections into more prominent locations such as the meat aisle.
"A growing and more prominent position instore places a greater responsibility on manufacturers to provide clear labelling for the wider customer base."
She said this needed to enforced under general food law: "Should members have concerns with the labelling of plant-based products, the UFU encourages them to report these to the Food Standards Agency or the Advertising Standards Agency."
