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Published February 5, 2025

High Steaks Labels

For years, meat industry lobbyists have been trying to control who can use words like "burger."
Panel 1 of a 9-panel comic shows a yellow starburst sign with the title “HIGH STEAKS LABELS” inside (the spelling is on purpose and in reference to the topic of the comic). The byline is located in an orange rectangle right beneath the title and reads “by Yifan Luo.” The text on this first panel reads as follows: “Since 2018, several state legislatures, including Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, have enacted regulations banning companies from marketing meat-free products with terms like burger and sausage.” Below the text is a close-up of a grocery shelf with what appears to be one row of veggie sausages, and one row of veggie burgers. However, the labels are partially obscured with black marker; the sausages just say “veggie” with blocked-out text underneath, and the burgers say “plant-based” with blocked-out text underneath.
Panel 2 depicts a person dressed like a food vendor (apron, small vendor hat) behind prison bars, with a sad look on their face. In the foreground is a hand holding a piece of paper labeled “INFRINGEMENT NOTICE” with a red “PAY NOW” stamped on the bottom right corner, and a penalty of $1,000 printed on the left corner. The caption at the top reads, “Offending parties, even if they use qualifiers like "plant-based," "veggie," "vegan," or "cell-cultured," could face hefty fines and even jail time.”
Panel 3 reads, “Lawmakers claim to be preventing consumer confusion, but the way they discuss the laws shows their main motivation is really to keep plant-based alternatives off grocery store shelves.” Underneath the text is a woman wearing a red suit jacket holding up a piece of paper with a government seal at the top. She has fluffy blonde hair and an artificial-looking smile, and coming from her mouth is the word bubble, “We wanted to protect our cattlemen in Missouri and protect our beef brand.” Behind her stands an older man wearing a suit and a cowboy hat, giving a thumbs up signal, and another suited man with dark hair. The caption underneath these figures reads, “Sandy Crawford, Representative Jeff Knight, and Representative Warren Love, who introduced the Missouri state bills, all have personal ties to the animal agriculture industry.”
Panel 4 shows a farm scene at dusk, with a barn and field in the background, and a fence and grass in the foreground. The text reads, “In their rush to legislate their competition away, these laws don't acknowledge that people have always used figurative language to describe food products, signifying use, taste, appearance, or texture. Chicken fingers aren't fingers, and peanut butter isn't from cows.” On the fence and the grass are a rooster and hen, who look normal except for articulated “fingers” on their wings. Next to the hen is a cow eating grass, who looks normal except for a pattern of shelled and unshelled peanuts on its fur.
Panel 5 has the following text next to a courthouse in the background, set against a peachy sky: “Plant-based companies such as Turtle Island Foods (aka Tofurky), Upton's Naturals, and Miyoko's Creamery argue that, besides being absurd, these laws are unconstitutional. All three companies, backed by big organizations like the ACLU, have sued states on the grounds that the legislature violates First Amendment protections on commercial speech.” In the foreground is a middle-age man in the foreground wearing a collared shirt and green sweater, with a determined look on his face and his hand held up in a fist, palms facing out towards the reader. He has a speech bubble that reads, “Our labels have always made it clear that our foods are 100% vegan... We have a First Amendment right to use common terms like 'bacon' and 'burger' and we're prepared to fight for that right in any other state that passes anti-competitive laws being pushed by the meat industry.” Underneath is a caption that identifies him as Dan Staackmann, CEO of Upton’s Naturals.
Panel 6 shows an anthropomorphic plant-based burger sandwich (identified by a small flag atop its bun with a green leaf on it) wielding a butter knife, having a showdown with an anthropomorphic government bill holding a gavel. Some text is visible on the bill, including partial snippets of “House…State of Arkansas…92nd General Assembly…Regular Session.” The text at the top reads, “Courts blocked the Arkansas law pending proceedings, and other states have backed off and revised their labeling regulations.” Further text on the bottom reads, “In Missouri, judges determined that clearly labeled vegan products were not in violation, though companies could still face the threat of future fines under the legislation.”
Panel 7 opens with the text, “This debate has even reached the national level, with Republican Senator Roger Marshall and Representative Mark Alford introducing the FAIR Labels Act in 2024 in a continued effort to require plant-based or lab-grown proteins to use qualifying terms like "imitation." Though progress on this bill has stalled for now, a similar "meat integrity act" was recently signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to curb the distribution of "mislabeled" products in Iowan schools and universities.” Underneath is an illustration of a veggie chicken tender in a police mugshot (front view on the left, profile view on the right). A height measure in the back shows the tender stands about 4” tall. The tender is holding a black sign that reads: “S. 3693, FAUX, IMITATION PROTEIN SUBSTITUTE, NOT MEAT, net wt 57g.” (S. 3693 is a reference to the FAIR Labels Act.)
Panel 8 is set in a field with a stream and small bridge in the background. A lush picnic is set up in the foreground, with three figures enjoying plant-based food offerings and clinking glasses of plant-based milk, and three additional figures crossing the bridge or walking towards the picnic. Foods visible on and around the picnic bench include heads of cauliflower, leafy greens, oat and almond milk cartons, a cake and cupcakes with frosting and raspberries on top, a plant-based cheese board, a colorful salad, tacos, and a veggie roast flanked by Brussels sprouts. Text above the image reads, “Outside the courts, demand for tasty plant-based options isn't just coming from vegetarians and vegans but the growing number of consumers citing health, environmental, and animal welfare as reasons for cutting back on meat and dairy. Big players in the industry are taking note, with Tyson, Perdue Farms, Cargill, and Chobani all investing in plant-based foods.”
Panel 9 reads, “With options only growing, people will continue to buy what they want, and they'll call it what they want, try as legislators may to make it more difficult.” Beneath this stands a woman with dark hair and a dark blue chef’s jacket, holding up a cheese platter with various plant-based cheese, grapes, crackers, carrot sticks, and small slices of apple. She is identified by the caption, “Miyoko Schinner, founder of Miyoko's Creamery, who won a 2021 food labeling lawsuit against the state of California.” Her word bubble reads, “Food is ever-evolving, and so too, should language to reflect how people actually use speech to describe the foods they eat.”

This comic was originally published by The Nib in 2022 and was updated for Crucial Comix in 2024.

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