European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Products
In a major vote this week, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Signifies
If this proposal becomes law, popular plant-based items such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across EU countries.
However, before the ban to take effect, it needs to gain approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, which remains uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that consumers need transparent labeling and that meat terms must exclusively describe items from animals.
"An escalope or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not from synthetic production or plant products," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the move populist tactics.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Background
This isn't the first effort to control such names. The European parliament voted down a similar prohibition in 2020.
The French government previously introduced a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024.
Business and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that altering familiar names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that the majority of consumers comprehend product labels as long as products are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of shoppers understand these names provided products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Comes Following the Vote
The legislative measure now requires review by EU member states, where it must secure majority approval to be enacted.
Given the mixed opinions among various politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.
