Mark Lansbury

2026-01-05 17:23:02

When is a #sausage not really a sausage? Ask the #meat #lobby

Most of what you eat is sausages

I mean, if we’re going to get literal about it. Sausage derives from the Latin salsicus, which means “seasoned with salt”everything and nothing, a Borgesian meta-concept that retreats as you approach it.

But to the legislators of the EU, a sausage can now have only one meaning: a cylindrical object containing meat

Never mind that cylindrical objects containing no meat have been marketed under names such as #Glamorgan sausage (selsig Morgannwg) for at least 150 years

Never mind that even Germans once felt the need to call animal sausages #mettwurst, to distinguish them from other kinds

Never mind that almost everyone knows what “veggie sausage”, “vegan sausage” or “plant-based sausage” mean

A recent survey of 20,000 Dutch people found that 96% are not confused by such terms, which is probably a higher percentage than those who can readily distinguish left from right. The #consumer must at all costs be protected from an imaginary threat.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

#bribes #lobbying #Corporate #profits #CapitalismFail

When is a sausage not really a sausage? Ask the meat lobby

European legislators may ban plant-based products from using the name to prevent ‘confusion’. Just don’t mention beef tomatoes or buffalo wings, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

^{George Monbiot (The Guardian)}