EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products

In a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.

The Vote Signifies

Should this proposal becomes law, common vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed across European Union countries.

Nevertheless, before the restriction to take effect, it needs to receive approval from most of the 27 EU countries, which remains far from certain.

The Debate Surrounding the Proposal

Supporters contend that consumers need transparent information and while traditional names should exclusively describe items from livestock.

"A steak or a sausage are goods from our livestock: not laboratory art nor plant products," stated French MEP the proposal's author.

Opponents, including Green MEPs, called the move political tactics.

"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.

Past Efforts and Legal Background

The marks another effort to regulate these names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable ban in 2020.

The French government previously enacted a national ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.

Business and Consumer Response

Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing familiar names would mislead shoppers.

Consumer groups point to surveys showing that the majority of consumers comprehend product labels when products are properly marked as vegetarian.

"Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology provided items are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.

What Comes Following the Vote

This legislative measure now faces review by EU member states, and it needs to secure broad approval to be enacted.

Given the divided opinions within various lawmakers and the public, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.