Working at every level

We advocate for fair policy to support alternative proteins in the U.S., engaging with legislators, regulators, and defending producers’ rights in court to ensure a level playing field and protect clear labeling.

  • Legislative: Everyone should play by the same rules. GFI lobbies state and federal legislators to support policies that ensure a level playing field for alternative proteins and advance their development. We also actively oppose laws that unfairly restrict the use of standard meat, dairy, and egg terms on alternative protein product labels.
  • Executive: As the demand for alternative proteins rises, some lobbyists in the conventional meat and dairy industries seek to use “standards of identity” to prevent alternative protein producers from using conventional meat and dairy terms on their product labels. We submit comments, petitions, and letters to regulators to defend the right of alternative protein producers to use clear naming conventions. This ensures that all companies can compete on a level playing field.
  • Judicial: Laws that prevent alternative protein producers from using conventional meat terms on their labels are patronizing to consumers, disruptive to our free-market economy, and unconstitutional. We defend alternative protein producers’ constitutional rights by challenging label censorship laws in court, and standing up for free speech, free markets, and consumer choice.
Gfi director of policy jessica almy defends terms like “plant-based burger” on cnn

GFI defends plant-based labels on CNN

Opposing Louisiana’s label censorship law, GFI Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, Jessica Almy, defends plant-based meat producer Tofurky’s constitutional right to use terms like “plant-based meat” on their labels. By opposing this and similar efforts in other states, GFI is protecting all alternative protein companies’ First Amendment rights.

Beyond meat beyond burger product on shelf photo

Resource

An overview of food label censorship

Label censorship, which prohibits the use of meaty terms on alternative protein products, is anti-free market, unconstitutional, and unnecessary.

A photo showing a variety of plant based meats

Resource

The First Amendment right to use clear labels on food

Alternative protein producers have a First Amendment right to describe their products in a clear manner consistent with consumer expectations.

Recent press

Vox logo

Tofurky is suing Louisiana for the right to label its veggie burgers “veggie burgers”

Vox covers Tofurky’s lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s label censorship law. Represented by GFI and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Tofurky asserts that Louisiana’s law violates its First Amendment rights.

Usa today logo

From almond milk to veggie burgers, does anyone really have trouble knowing what these products are?

GFI’s Director of Policy Jessica Almy teams up with R Street Fellow Shoshana Weissmann to lay out the case against protectionist and unconstitutional governmental censorship of product labels.

The new york times logo

You call that meat? Not so fast, cattle ranchers say

New York Times gives an overview of label censorship laws, highlighting that the industry groups urging legislators to introduce such laws are threatened by alternative proteins.

Arizona daily star logo

Matt Ball: Don’t get caught calling it a veggie burger

Arizona Daily Star publishes GFI’s Senior Communications Specialist Matt Ball’s op-ed on Arizona’s failed label censorship bill, explaining that it violated free speech and free markets.

Recent blog posts

Read more on how we are supporting alternative protein producers’ constitutional right to communicate clearly with consumers.

Gavel

How plant-based companies are fighting back against label censorship

With help from organizations like GFI and ALDF, plant-based companies are challenging unnecessary and unconstitutional label censorship laws and transforming the policy landscape.