A study by QUT researchers has looked at the politics of alternative proteins (new meat alternatives) in Australia as lawmakers grapple with notions of competition, definitions and labelling.
Dr Hope Johnson (pictured, at right), and her research team, Professor Christine Parker (Melbourne Law School) and Dr Brodie Evans (QUT Centre for Justice), systematically analysed the Senate Inquiry into Definitions of Meat and Other Animal Products with implications for the recent moves by Australian regulators to approve cultivated meat.
“A common concern among stakeholders was that alternative proteins were a threat to animal agriculture,” Dr Johnson said.
“But this shifted over the course of the Senate Inquiry, as stakeholders began to concede that plant-based alternative proteins were not necessarily in competition with meat and dairy.”
Dr Johnson said that instead in Australia, both industries felt labelling laws were the problem – and the best solution would be to ensure ‘consumer clarity.’
To find out more, visit QUT news.
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