In July, the Institute for Justice and Mississippi Justice Institute partnered to bring a First Amendment lawsuit against the State of Mississippi concerning proposed regulations that would have banned plant-based foods from using meat product terms like “burger,” “bacon,” and “hot dog” on their packaging. The new regulations are the result of the lawsuit.
“These new proposed regulations are a victory for free speech in Mississippi,” said Aaron Rice, Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute. “It shouldn’t be a crime for plant-based food companies to describe their products in a way that everyone understands. We are happy that our state officials listened to the concerns brought forward by our clients in this lawsuit, and took the right approach. Because of these changes in the regulations, our clients will be able to continue selling vegan and vegetarian products in Mississippi.”
Under the new regulations, plant-based foods will not be considered to be labeled as a “meat” or “meat food product” if the label also includes “meat-free,” “meatless,” “plant-based,” “vegetarian,” “vegan,” or similar terms.
The proposal will be open for public comment for 25 days.
The proposed regulations can be found here.