EU Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Products
During a major vote this week, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products.
What the Vote Means
Should this proposal becomes law, popular plant-based products such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to be renamed throughout European Union markets.
Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, something that remains uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that customers require transparent information and while traditional names must only describe items from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not laboratory art nor plant products," said French MEP CĂ©line Imart.
Opponents, led by Green MEPs, called the move unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Context
This isn't the first attempt to regulate such names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
The French government earlier introduced a national ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Public Response
Leading German retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that altering familiar names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology provided products are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Next
This legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, where it must obtain majority approval to be enacted.
Given the mixed opinions among both politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.
