EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products
During a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Signifies
Should the measure is implemented, common plant-based items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU markets.
However, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which remains uncertain.
The Debate Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers require clear information and that meat terms must exclusively refer to items derived from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, just certain lawmakers," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Background
This marks another effort to control such terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Industry and Public Reaction
Leading Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing established names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite research showing that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels as long as products are clearly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize these names provided items are clearly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Next
The proposal now faces review by EU member states, and it must secure majority support to become law.
Considering the divided opinions among various lawmakers and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still unclear.
