EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Products
In a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided 355 to 247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products.
What the Vote Signifies
If the measure becomes law, common vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may have to change their names across EU countries.
However, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, which remains far from certain.
Key Arguments Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers require transparent information and while traditional names must exclusively describe items derived from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages are goods from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, called the decision populist tactics.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
The marks another attempt to regulate such names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
France previously introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in 2024.
Industry and Public Response
Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering familiar names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are properly identified as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers recognize the terminology as long as items are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal next faces review by European governments, and it must secure majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the mixed opinions within both lawmakers and the public, the future of the proposal is still uncertain.
