EU Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products
In a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict food names such as "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
Should the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across European Union countries.
However, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to receive approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, which is uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Supporters argue that consumers require clear labeling and while meat terms must exclusively refer to items from animals.
"A steak or a sausage are products from animal farming: not from laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, led by environmental lawmakers, called the decision pointless regulation.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Judicial Background
This isn't the first attempt to regulate these terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020.
France previously enacted a national ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Major German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering familiar terms would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite research showing that most consumers comprehend product labels as long as items are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize these names provided items are explicitly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
This legislative measure next faces review by European governments, and it must obtain broad approval to become law.
Given the mixed views among both lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative is still uncertain.
