EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products
In a major decision this week, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Signifies
Should the measure becomes law, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed throughout European Union markets.
Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain support from most of the EU's 27 countries, which is uncertain.
Key Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Proponents argue that customers need transparent information and while meat terms must only refer to items from animals.
"An escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor plant products," stated France's MEP CĂ©line Imart.
Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Context
The isn't the first effort to regulate these terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020.
France previously introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Leading German retailers including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that changing familiar names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of consumers understand these names as long as items are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology as long as items are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The proposal now faces review by European governments, where it needs to secure majority support to be enacted.
Considering the mixed views within various politicians and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still uncertain.
