EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.
What the Decision Means
Should this proposal is implemented, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it must receive approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, something that remains far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that consumers need transparent information and that meat terms should only refer to products from livestock.
"A steak and sausages are goods from animal farming: not laboratory art nor plant products," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless regulation.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, only rightwing politicians," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Legal Background
This isn't the first effort to regulate such names. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020.
France earlier introduced a national ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under EU law in this year.
Business and Public Response
Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that changing established names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups point to research indicating that most consumers understand product labels when items are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology as long as products are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal now faces consideration by European governments, and it needs to obtain majority approval to become law.
Considering the divided opinions within various lawmakers and the general population, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.