Iconic British snacks face being renamed under new Brexit rules
Snacks marketed as 'meaty' – but are actually vegetarian – could face being renamed
Iconic British snacks like Beef Monster Munch and Bacon Fries could be renamed under Labour's EU reset agreement.
Listen to this article
The proposed food labelling regulations from Brussels would prohibit the use of meat-related terminology on products that are actually vegetarian.
Chicken and mushroom Pot Noodles, Bacon Fries and roast beef Monster Munch, may be caught by the new rules, which would not allow manufacturers to sidestep restrictions by describing items as meat 'flavoured'.
The dynamic deal struck by the Government would hand oversight of food standards back to the European Court of Justice, essentially reducing Britain to a rule-taker on future regulations without any input into their creation.
Should the EU legislation be ratified, enforcement in the UK could begin as early as next year.
Read more: UK wildlife to replace historical figures on next series of banknotes
Some groups have hit out at the proposed changes.
Mark Francois, who chairs the Brexit-backing European Research Group, warned: "Things are clearly coming to a crunch when we are even going to become a rule-taker from Brussels on crisps and snacks.
"If we can't even hold the line over a packet of Monster Munch or some Bacon Fries, what hope do we have over rejoining the Customs Union?"
The UK Food Standards Agency has indicated that Britain would be bound by these new labelling requirements unless negotiators secure exemptions for specific products.
Approximately 500,000 businesses face disruption from the agreement, including firms operating exclusively within Great Britain that have no direct trade relationship with the EU.
Frank Furedi, executive director of the MCC Brussels think tank, argued the purpose of Brexit was to take back control of British laws, but the "weak" Labour government seems ready to sign up to "whatever rules Brussels invents next".
He said: "Laws affecting Britain should be decided in Westminster by elected MPs and not by Eurocrats in Brussels."
Other popular snacks that could be affected include Walkers smoky bacon and roast chicken flavour crisps.
However, Smiths Scampi Fries would not be included under the rules, which don’t mention fish.
Joel Scott-Halkes, director of impact at WePlanet, a green-growth NGO, told The Telegraph: “After generations of enjoying beloved products like Smith’s Bacon Fries or Chicken and Mushroom Pot Noodles, we don’t need Brussels bureaucrats policing what we call them.
“It’s time for Starmer to intervene and save our snacks.”