EU Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant decision this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
The Vote Signifies
If this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may have to be renamed across European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from most of the 27 EU countries, which remains far from certain.
Key Arguments Behind the Proposal
Proponents argue that customers need clear labeling and while meat terms must only refer to items derived from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated France's MEP the proposal's author.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Context
This isn't the first effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020.
The French government previously introduced a national restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but EU courts ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major German retailers including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering familiar terms would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that most shoppers understand product labels when products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of consumers understand these names as long as products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure now requires review by European governments, and it needs to secure majority approval to become law.
Considering the divided views among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains uncertain.
