European Parliament Vote to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods
In a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms including "burger" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products.
The Vote Means
Should the measure becomes law, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names throughout EU markets.
However, before the ban to take effect, it needs to gain support from most of the 27 EU countries, which remains far from certain.
The Arguments Behind the Measure
Proponents argue that customers need clear information and that traditional names should exclusively describe products from livestock.
"An escalope and sausages are goods from animal farming: not laboratory art or vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move populist tactics.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Context
This isn't the first effort to control these names. The European parliament voted down a similar prohibition in four years ago.
France previously introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under EU law in this year.
Business and Public Response
Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that changing established names would confuse consumers.
Consumer groups point to surveys showing that most consumers understand product labels as long as products are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize the terminology as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Comes Next
This legislative measure now requires review by European governments, where it must secure majority support to be enacted.
Given the mixed opinions among various politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.
