European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Based Names for Plant-Based Products
In a major decision on Wednesday, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "sausage" solely for meat products.
The Vote Signifies
Should this proposal is implemented, common vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to take effect, it needs to receive support from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, something that is far from certain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Measure
Supporters argue that customers require transparent information and while traditional names must exclusively describe items from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages represent goods from our livestock: not from laboratory art or plant products," stated France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, described the decision populist maneuvering.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Judicial Context
This marks another effort to regulate these terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in four years ago.
France previously introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established terms would mislead consumers.
Consumer groups point to surveys indicating that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels when items are clearly marked as vegan.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology provided products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The proposal now faces consideration by EU member states, and it must obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the mixed views within both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains unclear.
