EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Foods
During a significant decision on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms such as "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.
The Decision Means
Should the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to change their names throughout European Union countries.
However, before the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, something that is far from certain.
The Debate Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers need transparent labeling and while traditional names should exclusively describe products from animals.
"An escalope and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not from laboratory art or vegetable sources," said France's MEP Céline Imart.
Critics, led by Green MEPs, called the decision populist tactics.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
The marks another attempt to control such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
France previously enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Public Reaction
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that changing familiar names would confuse consumers.
Consumer groups cite research indicating that most consumers understand these names as long as items are properly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal next faces consideration by EU member states, and it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the divided views among both politicians and the general population, the future of this initiative remains unclear.
