EU Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Based Names for Plant-Based Foods
In a major vote this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Vote Means
If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, which is uncertain.
Key Debate Surrounding the Measure
Proponents contend that consumers require transparent labeling and that meat terms should only describe items from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are goods from our livestock: not synthetic production nor vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Opponents, led by Green MEPs, called the decision unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Judicial Context
This marks another attempt to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a similar ban in four years ago.
France earlier introduced a domestic restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Consumer Response
Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering established names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as items are clearly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand these names as long as products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal now requires review by European governments, where it needs to obtain majority support to be enacted.
Given the divided views among both politicians and the public, the outcome of the proposal is still uncertain.
