European Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Foods
During a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products.
What the Vote Signifies
Should this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed throughout European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must receive approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
The Debate Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters argue that consumers require transparent information and while traditional names must only describe products from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not synthetic production or vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, including Green MEPs, called the move pointless restriction.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Legal Context
The isn't the first effort to control these names. EU lawmakers rejected a similar ban in four years ago.
The French government earlier enacted a national restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but EU courts determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Leading German retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing familiar terms would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite surveys showing that most shoppers comprehend product labels as long as items are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided products are explicitly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal now requires review by European governments, where it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Given the divided opinions among various lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative is still uncertain.
