European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant vote this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.
The Vote Signifies
If this proposal becomes law, common vegetarian items such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to change their names throughout European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to take effect, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that remains uncertain.
The Debate Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that customers require clear information and while meat terms should exclusively refer to products derived from animals.
"An escalope or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not laboratory art nor plant products," stated France's MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, led by Green MEPs, described the decision unnecessary restriction.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Background
This isn't the first effort to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable ban in four years ago.
The French government previously enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that changing established terms would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups cite surveys indicating that the majority of consumers comprehend these names as long as products are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers understand these names as long as products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The proposal next requires review by European governments, and it needs to obtain majority approval to become law.
Considering the mixed views within both lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.
