European Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant vote this week, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Signifies
Should this proposal becomes law, common plant-based products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may have to change their names across EU markets.
However, for the ban to be enforced, it must receive approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
Key Arguments Surrounding the Measure
Supporters argue that customers require clear information and that meat terms must exclusively describe products from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages are products from animal farming: not from laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated France's MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move pointless restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
This isn't the first effort to control these names. EU lawmakers rejected a similar prohibition in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a domestic restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Leading Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that altering familiar names would confuse consumers.
Consumer groups cite research indicating that most shoppers understand product labels as long as products are clearly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers understand these names as long as products are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Next
The proposal next faces consideration by European governments, where it needs to secure broad approval to become law.
Given the divided opinions within both lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative remains unclear.
