European Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Products
During a major decision this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms such as "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
Should the measure becomes law, common vegetarian items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to change their names across European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to receive support from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, something that remains uncertain.
Key Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that consumers require transparent labeling and that traditional names must exclusively refer to products derived from livestock.
"A steak and sausages represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production or plant products," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, led by Green MEPs, called the decision political tactics.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Background
The isn't the first effort to control these names. EU lawmakers voted down a similar prohibition in four years ago.
The French government earlier enacted a domestic restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in 2024.
Business and Consumer Response
Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys indicating that most consumers understand product labels when items are properly marked as vegan.
"Nearly 70% of consumers recognize the terminology as long as items are explicitly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Next
This legislative measure now faces consideration by European governments, and it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Considering the mixed opinions among both politicians and the public, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.
