ECJ judgement: the term “soya milk” no longer allowed

It is no longer permitted to market products of purely plant origin by using words like milk or cheese. That was the decision of the European Court in Luxembourg. It stated that these descriptors could be applied in the EU only to products of animal origin. This means that product names like tofu butter, plant cheese and soya milk are, with immediate effect, taboo. Manufacturers of vegan products now have to think of different names for their products.

The Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb – a German association safeguarding competition - sued the German company Tofutown because this organic manufacturer wanted to continue selling vegan products described as, for example, “Cashew Cheese”. Despite losing its case, Tofutown sees going to court as a partial success, claiming that it has drawn the attention of the media to the issue.