EU Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products.
What the Vote Signifies
If this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based items like veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to change their names across EU countries.
However, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that is far from certain.
Key Debate Behind the Measure
Proponents argue that consumers require transparent labeling and while meat terms should only refer to products derived from animals.
"A steak and sausages represent products from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated France's MEP the proposal's author.
Opponents, led by environmental lawmakers, called the move unnecessary regulation.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Legal Context
The marks another effort to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable ban in four years ago.
France previously enacted a national ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts determined it invalid under EU law in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that altering familiar names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups point to surveys showing that most consumers understand product labels when products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided products are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
This legislative measure next faces review by EU member states, where it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided opinions among both politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains uncertain.
