EU Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products
In a major decision on Wednesday, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Means
Should the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout European Union markets.
However, before the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, which remains far from certain.
The Debate Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that customers need transparent labeling and that traditional names must only refer to items derived from animals.
"A steak or a sausage are products from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," stated France's MEP CĂ©line Imart.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, called the decision unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, just certain lawmakers," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Context
The marks another attempt to regulate such terminology. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established terms would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that most consumers understand these names as long as items are clearly marked as vegan.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize the terminology provided products are explicitly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure next faces review by EU member states, and it must obtain broad approval to become law.
Considering the mixed views within both politicians and the general population, the outcome of the proposal is still uncertain.
