EU reserves 31 meat terms from 2029, putting plant-based exporters on notice
Regulation (EU) 2026/1739 reserves the word "meat" and 31 further terms, from beef and chicken to ribeye, T-bone and bacon, for meat and meat products at all marketing stages from 19 August 2029. The rules cover goods imported into the Union, with a stock run-off ending no later than 19 August 2032. Vietnamese exporters of vegan, vegetarian and plant-based foods have been told to review names, packaging and marketing material well before the deadline.
The European Union has adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1739, which sets out new rules on the use of names associated with meat and meat products and applies them to food placed on the EU market, including imports. According to the Foreign Market Development Department of Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, cited by VnEconomy, the regulation was adopted on 8 July 2026, published on 29 July 2026 and entered into force on 18 August 2026.
The naming provisions themselves, contained in Article 1(13), apply only from 19 August 2029. That leaves food companies close to three years to review product portfolios, packaging, labels and marketing channels before the requirements take effect.
Thirty-one terms reserved for meat
The regulation inserts a new Part Ia, "Meat and meat products designations", into Annex VII of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. It defines "meat" as the edible parts of animals falling within the scope of the regulation. Alongside the word "meat" itself, the EU reserves a list of 31 terms for meat and meat products at all stages of marketing.
- Species and category terms: beef, veal, pork, poultry, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, lamb, mutton, ovine, goat.
- Cuts and parts: drumstick, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, loin, ribs, shoulder, shank, chop, wing, breast, thigh, brisket, ribeye, T-bone, rump.
- Products: bacon, steak and liver.
These terms may not be used for foods excluded under the new rules, including substitute products that do not meet the conditions for using designations reserved for meat. VnEconomy notes that names already widely used in international trade fall directly within scope, citing "vegan chicken", "vegetarian beef", "plant-based pork", "vegan bacon", "plant-based steak" and "vegetarian ribs".
In principle, adding words such as "vegan", "vegetarian" or "plant-based" does not automatically remove the obligation to comply with the terms the EU has reserved for meat. Companies are therefore advised not to treat the change as a single-word edit on a label, but to assess how the product is named and presented across the whole EU market entry.
Imported goods are covered
The scope is not limited to food manufacturers inside the EU. The naming requirements apply to goods placed on the EU market, and the transitional provision of Regulation (EU) 2026/1739 refers explicitly to products "imported into the Union". For EU member states in the Nordic and Baltic region, namely Sweden, Denmark and Latvia, the rules apply directly, while exporters to Norway and Iceland must continue to check the requirements in force in each of those markets. Tariff preferences under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement do not exempt goods from naming, labelling and market-entry obligations.
Article 4 of the regulation provides a run-off period. Products that do not comply with the new designations but were produced in the EU or imported into the EU before 19 August 2029 may continue to be marketed until existing stocks are exhausted or until 19 August 2032, whichever comes first. For Vietnamese exporters, the critical detail is that the transition is tied to the date the product is imported into the EU, not to the date it was manufactured in Vietnam.
The review goes beyond the label
The Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, which also covers Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, recommends reviewing the entire identity and marketing system rather than packaging alone. Its checklist covers product names and labels; secondary labels in English or the language of the importing country; packaging; catalogues and sales documents; websites; product names on e-commerce platforms; advertising content; materials presented to importers, distributors and retail chains; and trademarks or product-line names containing terms from the reserved list.
Processed foods that use "beef", "chicken" or "pork" to describe flavour, including instant noodles, seasonings, snacks and sauces, sit in a less settled area. Companies are advised to follow EU implementing guidance and to agree wording with importers, because flavour descriptions are also governed by other EU rules on food information and flavourings.
The regulation also empowers the European Commission to adopt delegated acts allowing exceptions for certain designations reserved for meat products, where the true nature of the product is already clear because the name has been in long-standing use and is unlikely to mislead consumers. The exporters most exposed are producers of vegetarian, vegan and plant-based foods, meat substitutes and processed foods whose names, presentation or descriptions relate to the protected terms, a segment identified as a growth area in the Nordic markets and the wider EU as interest in plant-based food and animal-protein alternatives increases.
