EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods
In a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
If this proposal becomes law, common plant-based items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed throughout European Union markets.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which is uncertain.
Key Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters contend that customers require clear information and while meat terms must exclusively describe products derived from animals.
"A steak or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," said French MEP Céline Imart.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, described the move unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, only rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Context
This marks another attempt to regulate these names. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
The French government previously introduced a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Industry and Public Response
Major German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that changing familiar names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers recognize these names provided items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The legislative measure next faces review by European governments, where it needs to obtain broad support to become law.
Considering the divided views within both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal remains unclear.
