EU Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Products
During a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Means
Should the measure becomes law, popular plant-based products such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, before the restriction to take effect, it needs to gain support from most of the 27 EU countries, something that is uncertain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters argue that consumers need clear information and that traditional names should exclusively refer to items derived from livestock.
"An escalope or a sausage are products from animal farming: not laboratory art nor plant products," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the move populist maneuvering.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only certain lawmakers," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Context
The marks another attempt to regulate such names. EU lawmakers rejected a similar prohibition in 2020.
France earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Consumer Response
Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that altering established names would confuse consumers.
Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that most shoppers comprehend product labels when items are properly identified as vegan.
"Almost 70% of shoppers recognize these names as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Following the Vote
This proposal now faces review by European governments, where it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Given the divided opinions among various politicians and the general population, the future of this initiative remains uncertain.
