These 3 lawsuits are protecting the rights of companies like Beyond Meat to call their products 'burgers', 'hot dogs,' and other words associated with meat

Upton's Naturals Co, a vegan meat maker based in Chicago, is sued Mississippi's governor and commissioner of agriculture over a law that went into effect on July 1. The law restricts them from using words like "meatless meatballs," "hot dogs," and "veggie burgers" to describe their products. It also says that companies would have to pay huge fines for products not labeled in accordance to the law.

"It creates a logistical nightmare and huge cost," Michele Simon, the executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, a trade group, told Markets Insider in an interview.

In July, Tofurky sued Arkansas for labeling laws similar to those seen in Mississippi and Missouri. The Arkansas law, set to go into effect at the end of July, also says that products labeled "cauliflower rice" and "almond milk" would also be mislabeled and could be fined for not being made from actual rice or dairy.

"The only confusion here seems to be on the part of the Arkansas legislature, which seems to have forgotten its responsibility to its constituents in its rush to pass an unconstitutional law at the behest of its special interest donors," said Jaime Athos, CEO of Tofurky in a press release.

He continued: "When consumers choose plant-based foods, it is not because they are confused or misled, it is because they are savvy and educated about the health and environmental consequences of eating animal products.

"What's really going on here is that the state of Arkansas is seeking to limit access to healthier, more sustainable food choices for its constituents, and it is doing so to benefit the animal agriculture industry."