European Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products
During a significant decision this week, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Signifies
Should this proposal becomes law, popular plant-based items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across EU markets.
Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it must gain support from most of the 27 EU countries, something that remains uncertain.
The Debate Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that customers require transparent information and that traditional names should only refer to items from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages represent products from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the decision populist maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Legal Context
This isn't the first effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament voted down a similar ban in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but EU courts determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing established names would mislead consumers.
Consumer groups cite research showing that the majority of consumers understand these names as long as items are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize these names provided items are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure next requires consideration by European governments, where it needs to secure majority support to become law.
Considering the divided opinions among various politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal remains unclear.