Revo Foods, a plant-based fish start-up has had a case against it dismissed after it was accused of misleading shoppers into thinking its vegan salmon is actual fish.
Vienna City Council brought the lawsuit against the alt-food startup, but an Austrian court dismissed the accusation that the product’s labelling was misleading.
The name ‘Revo™ Salmon – 100% Plant-Based with Pea Protein’ could make shoppers think the product contains actual salmon, said the case.
But the administrative court rejected this accusation in what has been seen by some as not only a victory for Revo, but also for labelling when it comes to all plant-based alternatives.
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Revo Foods
Revo’s salmon fillet, based on mycoprotein, was the ‘first 3D-printed product to launch in supermarkets anywhere in the world’.
Now the company wants to scale up and plans to use crowdfunding to raise funds.
Robin Simsa, CEO of Revo Foods, told Vegconomist: “Our packaging declares that only 100% plant-based ingredients are used and clearly labels the products as vegan without animal-based ingredients.
“In our view, any accusation of deception is unjustified. Many consumers are specifically looking for these types of products, and it is important to give guidance of the product taste with descriptive names.”
While a number of plant-based products in Europe have faced similar accusations – for example, milk and meat alternatives – Revo says this case is the first time an alt-fish startup has faced legal action.
The case was dismissed when Revo™ Salmon's packaging was found to be clear about the product's plant-based nature. Photo © @revo_foods via Instagram
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Food labelling
A number of organisations have found that plant-based labelling is not confusing for consumers.
For example, in December 2022, a Swiss court sided with a plant-based food producer in a dispute over the use of meaty names for vegan products.
The Zurich Administrative Court said in a ruling that the brand’s usage of nomenclature including ‘chicken’ to describe its meat-free foods is not deceptive.
Furthermore, polls around food labelling suggest consumers are not confused by the use of meaty names to describe vegan or vegetarian products.
Research commissioned by global food awareness organisation, ProVeg International looked into whether consumers are confused by plant-based products that mimic meat, and have meaty names – for example, ‘nuggets’.
According to ProVeg, only 3.6 per cent of respondents said they had previously chosen a plant-based product referring to ‘nuggets’ by accident, while 96.4 per cent agreed that they had chosen the product consciously.
Meanwhile, over 80 per cent of those polled said it is obvious that products labelled as ‘vegan’, ‘vegetarian’ and ‘plant-based’ do not contain meat.
Not all food labels are as clear. Check out our vegan’s guide to reading food labels
Featured photo © @revo_foods via Instagram
