European Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Foods
During a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted 355 to 247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products.
What the Vote Means
Should the measure is implemented, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across EU markets.
However, for the ban to be enforced, it must receive approval from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain.
Key Debate Behind the Measure
Supporters contend that consumers require transparent information and that traditional names should only refer to items from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are goods from animal farming: not from laboratory art or vegetable sources," said French lawmaker the proposal's author.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless restriction.
"Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Legal Context
This marks another effort to control such terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable prohibition in 2020.
The French government earlier introduced a national ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under European legislation in 2024.
Industry and Public Response
Leading German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing established names would mislead consumers.
Consumer groups point to research showing that the majority of consumers understand these names as long as products are clearly identified as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
The legislative measure next requires review by European governments, where it needs to secure broad support to become law.
Given the mixed views within various politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.
