Meat replacement maker Vivera will not be fined for using the word gehakt on its vegetarian products, after the Dutch food safety board NVWA decided to wait for EU-wide rules on labelling.

Earlier this week, companies were told they could face a €1,050 penalty for using the term on plant-based mince, and The Vegetarian Butcher had already been given a warning.

acryThe NVWA says the term gehakt cannot be used for vegetarian products because current legislation sets strict conditions for when a product may be described as mince. “Vegetarian products do not meet those requirements,” a spokesperson told website NU.nl.

However, Vivera was told on Thursday that the fine would not go ahead. “We are pleased with this decision, but we understand the NVWA was simply enforcing the law as it stands,” said Willem van Weede on behalf of the brand.

“The outdated mince law has not been amended. It was originally designed to guarantee the food safety of animal-based mince and is not relevant for vegetarian mince.”

There are still no EU-wide agreements on naming conventions for vegetarian products. The European parliament last month called for meat-related terms such as burger and steak to be restricted for plant-based foods, but the European Commission has yet to consider the proposal.

The legislation, backed by the Dutch meat industry and opposed by many Dutch MEPs, also introduces a new definition of meat as “edible parts of animals”. Cell-cultured products, such as lab-grown meat, would also be banned from using the term.

The NVWA spokesperson said a decision is expected “sometime in 2027”. Until then, the board has suspended enforcement of the rules on the use of gehakt for vegetarian products.

Similar European bans have already been introduced for dairy product names, preventing non-dairy drinks and cheeses from being marketed as “oat milk” or “cashew cheese”.