European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Products
In a major decision this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Means
If the measure becomes law, common vegetarian items such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU markets.
However, before the ban to take effect, it must gain approval from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, which is uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers require transparent information and while meat terms must only refer to items derived from animals.
"An escalope or a sausage represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production nor plant products," stated France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including Green MEPs, called the decision populist tactics.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Legal Background
The isn't the first attempt to regulate these names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that most consumers understand product labels when products are clearly identified as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers understand these names as long as items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The proposal now faces consideration by European governments, and it must secure broad approval to become law.
Given the divided views within various lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of this initiative remains uncertain.
