European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Products
During a significant vote this week, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms including "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Signifies
Should this proposal becomes law, popular plant-based products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to be renamed across European Union countries.
However, before the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from most of the 27 EU countries, something that remains far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents argue that consumers require transparent information and while traditional names must only refer to products from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are products from our livestock: not laboratory art nor vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the decision populist maneuvering.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Legal Context
This isn't the first effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
France previously introduced a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under EU law in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that changing established terms would mislead consumers.
Consumer groups point to research showing that the majority of consumers understand product labels when products are clearly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology provided items are clearly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
The legislative measure next requires consideration by European governments, and it needs to secure broad approval to become law.
Considering the mixed views within various politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains unclear.