EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods

During a major vote this week, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.

The Vote Signifies

Should the measure is implemented, common vegetarian products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to change their names across European Union markets.

However, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, something that remains far from certain.

The Arguments Surrounding the Measure

Proponents argue that consumers require clear information and that traditional names should exclusively describe products derived from animals.

"A steak and sausages represent goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or vegetable sources," said French MEP the proposal's author.

Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the decision unnecessary regulation.

"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.

Previous Efforts and Judicial Background

This marks another effort to control such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable prohibition in four years ago.

France earlier introduced a domestic restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.

Business and Public Reaction

Major German retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that changing familiar names would mislead shoppers.

Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that the majority of consumers comprehend these names when products are clearly identified as vegan.

"Almost 70% of consumers understand the terminology as long as items are explicitly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.

What Comes Next

This legislative measure now faces review by European governments, and it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.

Considering the divided views among various lawmakers and the general population, the future of the proposal is still unclear.