European Parliament Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products
During a major decision on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Vote Means
Should this proposal becomes law, common vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to change their names across EU countries.
However, before the ban to take effect, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, something that is far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Proposal
Supporters argue that consumers need transparent labeling and while traditional names must exclusively describe products from animals.
"An escalope and sausages are goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or plant products," stated France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, led by Green MEPs, called the decision political maneuvering.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Context
The marks another effort to regulate these terminology. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Public Reaction
Leading Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that changing established names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand these names as long as products are properly marked as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers understand the terminology as long as products are clearly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure next faces review by European governments, and it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the divided views within both politicians and the general population, the outcome of the proposal remains uncertain.
