原文：https://vegnews.com/2019/9/mississippi-reverses-law-allows-vegan-meat-labels

注：译文谨供参考。

MISSISSIPPI REVERSES LAW, ALLOWS VEGAN MEAT LABELS

密西西比州撤销法律并允许人们使用纯素肉类标签

Cattle industry-backed Senate Bill 2922 is no longer applicable in the state and brands can continue to call their products plant-based “burgers,” “bacon,” and “beef.”

受养牛业支持的《参议院法案2922》不再适用于该州；各品牌的产品可以继续采用植物性“汉堡”、“培根”和“牛肉”的名称。

by ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA

作者：ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

2019年9月6日

Plant-based meat companies will no longer stand criminal charges in Mississippi for using terms such as “vegan burger,” “plant-based bacon,” and “meatless beef.” 

在密西西比州，植物肉公司使用诸如“纯素汉堡”（vegan burger）、“植物性培根”（plant-based bacon）、“素牛肉”（meatless beef）这样的名称，不会再面临刑事指控。

This week, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce issued proposed regulation that would nullify the terms of Senate Bill 2922. Scheduled to be enacted in July, SB 2922 was backed by the state’s cattlemen association and aimed to remove labels on vegan foods that use terminology it deems is only appropriate for animal-derived products. The new proposed regulation allows animal-free products to use terms such as “meat” and “beef” in combination with a qualifier such as “plant-based.”

本周，密西西比州农商厅（MDAC）发布了试行条例，以废除《参议院法案2922》的规定。该法案原定于7月份开始实施，获得了本州畜牧者协会的支持，旨在禁止纯素食品标签使用其认为仅适用于动物源性产品的名称。而新的试行条例允许无动物产品（animal-free products）使用添加了修饰语的名称，例如：“植物性”（plant-based）的“肉类”（meat）和“牛肉”（beef）等。

After SB 2922 passed, trade group Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and one of its founding member companies, vegan meat brand Upton’s Naturals, joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a lawsuit against the state of Mississippi to protect the First Amendment free speech rights of plant-based companies. 

在《参议院法案2922》被通过之后，贸易团体植物性食品协会（PBFA）及其创始成员公司之一Upton's Naturals（纯素肉类品牌）联合正义研究所（IJ）共同对密西西比州提起诉讼，以保护植物性食品公司享有的美国宪法第一修正案（First Amendment）所规定的言论自由权利。

“The new proposed regulation is a victory for the First Amendment and for common sense,” IJ Senior Attorney Justin Pearson said. “Our lawsuit made it clear that subjecting plant-based food companies to possible criminal prosecution for using common terms on their labels would be a violation of their free speech rights. Mississippi has made the wise decision to change those regulations so that companies will be free to continue selling vegan and vegetarian burgers and other meat alternatives in the Magnolia State.”

“新试行条例是第一修正案和常识方面的胜利，”正义研究所的高级律师贾斯廷·皮尔森（Justin Pearson）说道。“我们的诉讼已经明确了，如果植物性食品公司因其产品标签使用常见名称而遭到刑事指控，则其言论自由权利就会受到侵犯。密西西比州已经做出了更正那些条例的明智决定，因此各公司可以继续在木兰花州（Magnolia State）自由地销售纯素和素食汉堡以及其它肉类替代品。”

In recent months, nearly 30 other states have either proposed or passed laws aiming to prohibit the use of meat-related terms by plant-based companies, including Arkansas and Missouri where vegan meat brand Tofurky Co., with the support of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Good Food Institute (GFI), Animal Legal Defense Fund, filed similar lawsuits. 

最近几个月里，美国还有另外将近30个州提出或通过了旨在禁止植物性公司使用肉类相关名称的法律，其中包括阿肯色州和密苏里州；在美国公民自由联盟（ACLU）、好食品研究所（GFI）和动物法律辩护基金会（ALDF）的支持下，纯素肉类品牌公司Tofurky Co.分别对上述两个州提起了类似的诉讼。

“Mississippi is doing the right thing and it’s time for other states to follow its example,” PBFA executive director Michele Simon said. “We look forward to working with other states to find similarly constructive solutions.”

“密西西比州做得对，现在是别的州效仿其榜样的时候了，”植物性食品协会的执行董事米歇尔·西蒙（Michele Simon）说道。“我们期待与其他各州进行合作，以便找到类似的建设性解决方案。”