European Parliament Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods
In a major decision this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
If this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may have to be renamed across EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Supporters argue that customers require transparent information and while meat terms must exclusively refer to items from animals.
"An escalope and sausages are products from our livestock: not synthetic production or vegetable sources," said French MEP the proposal's author.
Opponents, including Green MEPs, called the decision unnecessary restriction.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Context
The isn't the first effort to regulate these names. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
France previously introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that altering established names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups cite surveys showing that most shoppers comprehend these names when products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of shoppers recognize the terminology as long as items are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
The proposal now requires review by European governments, where it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Given the mixed opinions among both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal is still unclear.
