European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Names for Plant-Based Foods
In a significant decision this week, European Parliament members decided 355 to 247 to restrict food names such as "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Signifies
If the measure becomes law, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names throughout EU markets.
However, for the ban to take effect, it needs to receive approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains uncertain.
Key Debate Surrounding the Proposal
Proponents contend that consumers require clear labeling and while meat terms must exclusively refer to products from animals.
"An escalope or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the move unnecessary restriction.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Past Attempts and Legal Background
The marks another attempt to control such names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Business and Consumer Response
Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that changing familiar names would confuse shoppers.
Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that most shoppers understand product labels when items are properly marked as vegan.
"Nearly 70% of consumers recognize these names as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
This legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, and it must obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Given the divided opinions among both lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.
