European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Plant-Based Products
In a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "sausage" solely for meat products.
The Decision Signifies
If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names across EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that remains far from certain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters contend that customers need transparent information and while traditional names should exclusively refer to products from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages represent products from animal farming: not from synthetic production or vegetable sources," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the move unnecessary regulation.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, just certain lawmakers," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Legal Background
This marks another effort to regulate such terminology. EU lawmakers rejected a similar prohibition in four years ago.
France previously enacted a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts determined it invalid under EU law in this year.
Industry and Public Reaction
Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that altering familiar names would mislead consumers.
Consumer groups point to research indicating that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels as long as products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of consumers recognize these names as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
What Comes Following the Vote
The proposal next requires review by European governments, and it must secure broad support to become law.
Considering the divided opinions among various lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative remains unclear.
