🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Vegetarian Products In a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms such as "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods. What the Decision Means Should the measure is implemented, popular plant-based items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across EU markets. Nevertheless, before the restriction to be enforced, it must receive support from most of the 27 EU member states, something that is far from certain. Key Arguments Behind the Proposal Supporters contend that customers require clear labeling and that traditional names should exclusively refer to products from animals. "An escalope and sausages represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production or plant products," stated France's MEP Céline Imart. Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the move unnecessary regulation. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Previous Efforts and Legal Background This marks another attempt to regulate such names. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable prohibition in 2020. The French government earlier introduced a national restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under EU law in 2024. Business and Public Reaction Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that altering established names would confuse shoppers. Consumer groups cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers comprehend product labels as long as items are properly identified as vegan. "Almost seventy percent of shoppers understand these names as long as products are explicitly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Next The legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, where it must secure majority support to be enacted. Given the divided opinions among both lawmakers and the public, the future of this initiative remains uncertain.