The so-called meat decree of the Ministry of Agriculture is in the consultation procedure in October 2026. Under the draft, only a meat product made from meat or offal that has subsequently been shaped into a characteristic form would be allowed to carry the names párek (frankfurter), klobása (sausage) or salám (salami). Products that do not meet these requirements could not use these names.[1][2]

The ministry states that the aim is to increase the transparency of the labelling of meat products and to ensure that the label matches the real character of the product. According to the ministry, the decree prohibits no designation but defines the requirements for using them more clearly, and the specific requirements were prepared in cooperation with producers. The start of the amendment's effect will depend on how long its notification to the European Commission takes.[1][2]

The organisation ProVeg Česko claims that the government is trying to harm plant-based foods and that the decree would ban names such as soy sausage, lentil meatloaf or vegetarian salami. Jana Pavelková of the organisation said the changes will make it harder for customers to find their way and asked the ministry to reconsider the draft. The organisation also points out that producers of plant-based alternatives, who in its view were not invited to the debate, will bear the costs of renaming and the risk of high fines. For misleading consumers, a fine under the food act can reach 50 million koruna.[1][2]

The Česká komora alternativních proteinů also came out against the draft in an open letter. Its executive director David Hůlka said that for producers the change would mean costs for renaming products and new packaging, as well as a loss of clarity. The operations director of the company Salve Natura, which has sold a smoked sausage labelled plant-based for more than twenty years, said the company fears whether customers will find it at all.[1][2]

Agriculture Minister Martin Šebestyán (SPD) wrote in a reply to the Czech Pirate Party MP Michaela Moricová that any harmonisation of the names of meat products would not bring discrimination against plant-based foods but would give producers an opportunity to distinguish their products with original names. Critics of the decree also point out that the draft runs counter to the government's aim of supporting the production and consumption of Czech food. The Potravinářská komora, by contrast, considers the draft a logical and long-awaited step that will contribute to greater market transparency and consumer protection.[1]

Chronology

  • — The Ministry of Agriculture proposed in a draft decree, now in the comment procedure, that names such as sausage, frankfurter or salami could only be used for meat products, while the organisation ProVeg Česko sees it as an attempt to harm plant-based alternatives. ČTK / České noviny Echo24

Sources

  1. ČTK / České noviny — 29 October 2026
  2. Echo24 — 29 October 2026