US plans to ban using 'meat' on labels of plant-based foods

They would still be allowed to use "burger" however.

No such law currently exists in Australia where an increasing number of plant-based products are making it onto supermarket shelves with a confusing array of labels.

Plant-based products on Australian grocery shelves doubled to more than 200 in the past year and almost half of them are made by local manufacturers trying to tap into a global demand.

This week the Texas state legislature approved House Bill 316 which bans foods not containing meat from animals from labelling their products "meat" or "beef".

The Bill now needs to be voted on a second time before it goes to the Senate for final approval.

The new law would also prohibit companies producing food from insects, plants or cell cultures from using meat labelling.

"This is for those who choose to eat meat, but it's also for those who choose to not eat meat," the Bill's sponsor Texas state representative Brad Buckley said.

"Our goal here today with this bill is to have clear and accurate labeling so the consumer has no doubt what they're purchasing," Mr Buckley said.

Meanwhile, another US state is moving to join California and ban the sale of Australian kangaroo products.

New Jersey lawmakers this week introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act to block the sale of kangaroo skins and meat.

Their main aim is the sale of skins for use in sports boots.

The US is the second-largest importer of kangaroo products, valued at about $80 million a year.

A Bill was introduced in the US Congress earlier in the year seeking to impose the same bans.

Animal activists, both in the US and here in Australia, have long fought to stop the trade claiming it is inhumane.

The New Jersey law seeks to impose $1000 fines and more than 30 days in jail for those caught selling kangaroo products.

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