European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Plant-Based Foods
In a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms including "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Signifies
Should this proposal is implemented, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to be renamed across European Union countries.
However, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, something that is far from certain.
The Debate Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters contend that customers need transparent labeling and while traditional names must exclusively refer to products derived from animals.
"An escalope and sausages represent products from our livestock: not from synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move political tactics.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Context
This marks another effort to regulate such terminology. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government earlier enacted a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Industry and Public Response
Leading German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering established terms would mislead shoppers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers recognize these names provided products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
This proposal now faces review by EU member states, where it must obtain broad support to become law.
Given the mixed views among various lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.
