EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products
In a significant vote this week, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
Should this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to change their names throughout European Union markets.
However, before the ban to take effect, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which is far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers need clear information and while traditional names must exclusively refer to items derived from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are products from our livestock: not laboratory art nor plant products," said French lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, described the decision political maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Background
This marks another attempt to regulate such terminology. EU lawmakers rejected a similar ban in four years ago.
The French government earlier enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Industry and Public Response
Major Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that altering established names would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that most shoppers comprehend product labels when products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Nearly 70% of consumers recognize these names provided products are explicitly marked plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This legislative measure next faces consideration by EU member states, and it needs to secure broad approval to become law.
Considering the divided opinions among various lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.
