The Nationals have the labels of soy milk and vegan meat in its crosshairs, with the party pushing for a crackdown on inaccurate food labelling to protect dairy and livestock farmers.
The junior coalition partner agreed at the Nationals federal council at the weekend to lead reform within government to make sure the use of terms like meat, milk and seafood are limited to animal produce.
Federal Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie said milk and meat were single-ingredient products, unlike soy or almond milk, and plant-based meat.
"No self-respecting vegetarian would want to rock along to a barbecue to find that their vege-burger actually contained meat," she said on Monday.
"Just as meat eaters don't want to find their meat patties are actually made from chickpeas and tofu."
The Nationals deputy leader said there was ambiguity amid deliberate attempts by some plant-based protein manufacturers to trade on the honest work of meat and milk producers.
She plans to raise the issue at the next Australia and New Zealand ministerial meeting on food regulation.
Food labelling has emerged as an issue across Europe and North America in recent years with some jurisdictions regulating the use of milk as a term.
In 2018, France outlawed products predominantly using non-animal ingredient from being called vegetable steak and soy sausages.
Australian Associated Press
