European Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products
In a significant vote this week, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms such as "burger" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Signifies
Should this proposal is implemented, common vegetarian items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to be renamed throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to take effect, it must gain approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
The Debate Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers need clear labeling and that meat terms must only describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or plant products," stated French MEP CĂ©line Imart.
Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move populist tactics.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Context
This marks another effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar prohibition in four years ago.
The French government earlier enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that changing established names would confuse consumers.
Consumer groups cite research showing that most shoppers comprehend product labels as long as products are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers recognize the terminology as long as items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The proposal now faces review by European governments, where it must obtain majority support to be enacted.
Given the mixed opinions among various politicians and the public, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.
