European Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products
In a major decision this week, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products.
The Vote Signifies
Should this proposal becomes law, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to be renamed across EU markets.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that is far from certain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Proponents contend that customers require transparent labeling and that meat terms must exclusively describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated France's MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the decision pointless regulation.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
This marks another effort to control such names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
France previously introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Public Response
Leading Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that changing established names would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to research showing that most consumers understand product labels as long as products are properly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology provided products are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Next
This legislative measure now faces consideration by EU member states, and it must secure majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the mixed opinions among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of the proposal remains unclear.
