European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Foods
During a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
Should this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU countries.
Nevertheless, before the restriction to be enforced, it must gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, something that is uncertain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents contend that customers require transparent labeling and that meat terms must exclusively refer to items from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage are products from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," stated French MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, including Green MEPs, called the move political maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Efforts and Judicial Context
The marks another attempt to regulate these names. The European parliament voted down a similar ban in four years ago.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts determined it illegal under EU law in 2024.
Industry and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that altering familiar names would confuse shoppers.
Consumer groups point to surveys indicating that the majority of shoppers comprehend these names as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology provided items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Comes Following the Vote
This proposal next requires consideration by European governments, and it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided opinions among both politicians and the general population, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.
