EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods
During a significant vote this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Signifies
If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed throughout European Union countries.
However, for the ban to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that is far from certain.
The Debate Behind the Proposal
Proponents contend that consumers require clear information and while meat terms should exclusively refer to items derived from animals.
"A steak and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not from laboratory art nor plant products," stated French MEP Céline Imart.
Opponents, led by environmental lawmakers, described the decision political maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Judicial Background
The isn't the first effort to control these names. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government previously enacted a domestic restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Leading German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that changing established names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to research showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels when products are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of consumers understand these names as long as products are clearly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, where it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the mixed opinions among both politicians and the general population, the outcome of the proposal remains uncertain.
