European Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Foods
During a significant vote this week, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Vote Means
Should the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to change their names throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to take effect, it must gain support from a majority of the 27 EU member states, something that is uncertain.
Key Debate Surrounding the Measure
Supporters argue that customers need clear information and that traditional names must exclusively describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak and sausages are products from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP CĂ©line Imart.
Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless regulation.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Past Efforts and Judicial Background
The isn't the first effort to regulate these names. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable ban in four years ago.
France previously introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in 2020, but EU courts determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Business and Consumer Reaction
Major Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing established terms would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups point to surveys indicating that most shoppers understand product labels as long as items are clearly marked as vegetarian.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology as long as products are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC.
What Next
This proposal next faces consideration by EU member states, where it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the mixed views among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.