European Parliament Vote to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Foods
In a major decision this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms including "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Means
Should the measure is implemented, popular vegetarian products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to be renamed throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it must gain support from most of the EU's 27 member states, which is far from certain.
Key Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters argue that customers need clear information and while meat terms should only describe items from animals.
"A steak or a sausage represent goods from animal farming: not synthetic production or plant products," stated French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the decision pointless restriction.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Background
The isn't the first effort to regulate these names. The European parliament voted down a comparable prohibition in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a national ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Public Response
Leading Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that changing established terms would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that the majority of consumers understand these names as long as products are properly marked as vegan.
"Nearly 70% of shoppers recognize these names provided products are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure next faces review by EU member states, and it needs to secure majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided views within various lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative is still uncertain.