EU Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Foods
During a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
If this proposal becomes law, common plant-based items like veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to be renamed across European Union countries.
However, for the restriction to take effect, it must gain approval from most of the 27 EU countries, which is uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that customers require transparent labeling and while traditional names must exclusively describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak and sausages are goods from our livestock: not from laboratory art or plant products," stated France's MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the decision unnecessary restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Background
The marks another effort to regulate such terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable prohibition in 2020.
France previously introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.
Business and Public Reaction
Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing familiar terms would mislead shoppers.
Advocacy organizations cite research showing that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels when products are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers understand these names provided products are clearly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The legislative measure next faces consideration by EU member states, and it must obtain majority approval to become law.
Considering the mixed views among both lawmakers and the general population, the future of the proposal is still unclear.
