🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Foods In a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to restrict product terms such as "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products. What the Vote Signifies If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to change their names throughout EU countries. Nevertheless, before the ban to take effect, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which is uncertain. Key Debate Behind the Proposal Proponents argue that consumers need clear labeling and while meat terms must only refer to products from animals. "A steak and sausages are goods from animal farming: not from laboratory art nor plant products," said France's lawmaker Céline Imart. Opponents, led by Green MEPs, described the decision political maneuvering. "Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Past Efforts and Legal Context This marks another effort to control these terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar prohibition in 2020. The French government previously introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024. Business and Public Response Major Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing familiar terms would confuse consumers. Consumer groups cite research indicating that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as items are clearly identified as vegetarian. "Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize these names as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Following the Vote This legislative measure next faces consideration by EU member states, and it must secure majority support to become law. Given the mixed opinions among both lawmakers and the general population, the future of this initiative remains uncertain.