European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products
In a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to restrict product terms such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products.
What the Decision Signifies
If this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian products like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to be renamed throughout European Union markets.
However, for the restriction to take effect, it must gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, something that remains far from certain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Measure
Supporters argue that consumers need clear labeling and that meat terms should only refer to products derived from animals.
"A steak and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the decision populist tactics.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Context
This marks another attempt to regulate such terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government earlier enacted a domestic ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that altering familiar terms would mislead shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that most shoppers comprehend product labels when products are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly 70% of shoppers recognize these names provided products are explicitly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Next
The proposal now requires review by European governments, where it must secure majority support to become law.
Considering the mixed views among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still unclear.
