EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products
During a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Signifies
Should this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names throughout EU markets.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must receive support from most of the 27 EU member states, which is uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that customers need clear information and while meat terms should exclusively describe products from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages are products from our livestock: not from synthetic production nor plant products," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the move political maneuvering.
"Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Background
The isn't the first effort to regulate these names. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in four years ago.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in this year.
Industry and Consumer Response
Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that altering familiar names would confuse shoppers.
Consumer groups point to research indicating that most consumers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology as long as items are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The legislative measure next faces review by European governments, and it must secure majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the mixed views among both lawmakers and the public, the future of the proposal is still unclear.
