🔗 Share this article EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods In a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names including "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products. The Vote Signifies Should this proposal becomes law, popular vegetarian products such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to change their names throughout EU countries. Nevertheless, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to receive approval from most of the 27 EU member states, something that remains far from certain. Key Debate Surrounding the Proposal Proponents argue that customers need clear information and while meat terms should only describe products from livestock. "A steak or a sausage represent products from our livestock: not from laboratory art or vegetable sources," stated France's MEP the proposal's author. Opponents, led by Green MEPs, called the move political tactics. "Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Past Efforts and Legal Context This marks another attempt to control such names. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020. The French government earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it illegal under EU law in 2024. Business and Public Reaction Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that altering established names would confuse shoppers. Advocacy organizations cite research showing that the majority of shoppers understand these names as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian. "Almost 70% of shoppers recognize the terminology provided items are clearly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Comes Following the Vote This legislative measure next faces review by EU member states, and it needs to obtain majority support to become law. Considering the divided opinions among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.