EU Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Foods
During a significant decision this week, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names such as "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products.
The Decision Means
Should this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based products such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout European Union countries.
Nevertheless, before the restriction to take effect, it needs to gain approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains uncertain.
Key Debate Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that customers need transparent labeling and while meat terms must exclusively refer to products from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not synthetic production or plant products," stated France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move pointless restriction.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Background
The marks another attempt to control such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable prohibition in 2020.
The French government earlier enacted 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.
Business and Consumer Response
Leading German retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing established terms would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels when items are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, where it needs to obtain majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided opinions within both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still unclear.