🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products During a major vote this week, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods. The Decision Signifies If this proposal becomes law, common plant-based products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU markets. However, before the ban to take effect, it must gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which is far from certain. The Debate Surrounding the Measure Proponents contend that consumers need clear information and that meat terms must only refer to items from livestock. "A steak and sausages are goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or plant products," said France's MEP Céline Imart. Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the decision populist maneuvering. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Efforts and Legal Background This isn't the first attempt to control these names. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020. The French government earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in this year. Industry and Consumer Response Major Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that altering established names would confuse shoppers. Advocacy organizations point to research showing that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels when items are properly identified as vegetarian. "Nearly 70% of consumers recognize the terminology provided items are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC. What Following the Vote The legislative measure now faces review by European governments, where it must secure majority support to become law. Considering the divided opinions within both politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains unclear.