EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products
During a significant vote this week, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names such as "steak" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Vote Means
Should this proposal is implemented, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to change their names throughout European Union markets.
However, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which is uncertain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Measure
Supporters contend that customers require transparent information and that traditional names should only refer to products from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production or plant products," said French lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, described the decision populist maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Context
The isn't the first effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts determined it invalid under EU law in this year.
Industry and Public Reaction
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that changing familiar terms would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly 70% of consumers recognize the terminology as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Following the Vote
The proposal now faces consideration by EU member states, and it needs to secure broad support to be enacted.
Given the divided views among various lawmakers and the public, the future of the proposal is still unclear.
