EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products
In a major decision on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms such as "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Means
If this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed across European Union markets.
However, before the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that consumers require transparent information and that meat terms should only refer to items derived from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not laboratory art nor plant products," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, described the move unnecessary restriction.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Background
This marks another attempt to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government previously introduced a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Business and Public Reaction
Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established terms would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys indicating that the majority of consumers understand product labels when products are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize these names provided products are explicitly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Comes Following the Vote
This legislative measure now faces review by European governments, where it needs to obtain majority support to become law.
Considering the mixed views within various politicians and the general population, the future of this initiative is still uncertain.
