EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products

During a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.

The Decision Signifies

If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed across EU markets.

Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, which remains uncertain.

The Arguments Surrounding the Measure

Supporters argue that customers need transparent labeling and while meat terms should only describe items from animals.

"A steak and sausages represent goods from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor plant products," stated French lawmaker the proposal's author.

Opponents, including Green MEPs, called the move unnecessary restriction.

"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.

Previous Efforts and Judicial Context

The marks another effort to control these names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.

France earlier introduced a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under European legislation in this year.

Industry and Public Reaction

Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that altering established terms would mislead consumers.

Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that the majority of consumers comprehend these names as long as products are properly marked as vegan.

"Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize these names as long as products are explicitly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.

What Following the Vote

This proposal next faces review by EU member states, where it must obtain broad support to be enacted.

Given the divided views within various lawmakers and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still unclear.