Australia is still figuring out how to deal with fake meat labels

This latest ruling is from Finland's Supreme Court which has allowed the use of "burger patty" but not meat.

Australia is still to decide on how it responds to the controversy over the labelling of fake meat products.

Despite the growth of plant-based products coming off the boil in many countries, especially from investors, alternative protein companies continue to be challenged over their marketing strategies.

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In Australia, it is now a year since a Senate inquiry recommended plant-based food products should not use words like "beef" and "chicken", nor use images of animals on packaging.

The inquiry, led by Queensland Senator Susan McDonald, urged the government to accept its recommendations but was faced with an election loss soon after.

During the election campaign, the new ALP government promised to follow the recommendations through.

"To support meat and plant industries an elected Albanese Labor Government will improve existing regulations that deliver accurate and clear food labelling for products so that consumers have informed choice," the new-government pledged.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department has been given the lead role on deciding how to respond to the inquiry.

The department is working across government, including with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Food Standards Australia New Zealand, to finalise the government's response.

"There are range of views across different parts of the agricultural sector on the best way to improve labelling regulations, noting recent moves by industry to introduce voluntary guidelines for the labelling of meat alternative products," a department spokeswoman said.

She is referring to the Alternative Proteins Council which last year issued "Industry Guidelines for the Labelling of Meat Alternative Products in Australia and New Zealand".

Those guidelines were seen as another push for the adoption of a voluntary code rather than making any new rules mandatory.

"The government will consider these and the effectiveness of existing regulations as it takes this work forward," the spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, other many other countries have taken strong steps to sort out the issue.

France and South Africa have already moved to ban the use of meat in plant-based packaging.

Various states in the USA have either succeeded, or are still attempting, to have laws introduced to protect traditional livestock producers.

For example, California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas are just some states where court challenges are playing out on meat labelling.

Back in Finland its Supreme Administrative Court announced its decision earlier this month after a government authority ordered an alternative protein company was ordered to change the marketing of its products.

Use of "burger patty" and "plant-based meat" were banned as misleading marketing.

The court overturned part of the decision in regards to "patty" but upheld the ban on "meat".

There are ongoing investigations into the use of the term "plant-based meat" elsewhere in the European Union as well.