A federal district judge has ruled that Texas’s law requiring plant-based meat companies to use terms like ‘meatless’ violates the First Amendment and cannot be enforced. The law, introduced in 2023, aimed to prevent misleading consumers by mandating disclaimers on plant-based meat products.

In a major win for the plant-based food industry, the court struck down the law in late January, stating that it violated the rights of plant-based manufacturers to make accurate statements to consumers. The ruling highlights the trend of similar laws being struck down or deemed unenforceable across the US, as labelling restrictions on plant-based alternatives continue to face legal challenges.