EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products
In a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.
The Vote Signifies
If this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to be renamed across European Union countries.
Nevertheless, before the ban to take effect, it must gain approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which is far from certain.
Key Debate Behind the Measure
Proponents argue that consumers require transparent labeling and while meat terms should exclusively describe products derived from animals.
"A steak and sausages are goods from our livestock: not synthetic production or vegetable sources," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move populist tactics.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Context
This marks another attempt to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a similar ban in four years ago.
The French government previously enacted a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it illegal under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Public Reaction
Leading Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing familiar names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that most consumers understand these names as long as items are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology as long as products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Next
This legislative measure now requires review by European governments, where it needs to secure broad support to become law.
Given the divided views among various lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of the proposal remains uncertain.
