European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods
During a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products.
The Vote Signifies
Should the measure becomes law, common vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names throughout European Union markets.
Nevertheless, before the restriction to be enforced, it must gain approval from most of the 27 EU countries, which is far from certain.
Key Debate Surrounding the Proposal
Proponents argue that customers need clear information and that meat terms should exclusively describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak and sausages are products from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, led by environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless restriction.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Background
This marks another attempt to regulate such names. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in four years ago.
France earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but EU courts determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that changing established names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of consumers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers understand these names as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
The legislative measure now faces consideration by EU member states, and it must secure majority support to become law.
Given the mixed views within both politicians and the general population, the outcome of this initiative remains unclear.
