EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Plant-Based Products
During a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
The Decision Signifies
If the measure becomes law, popular vegetarian items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may have to be renamed throughout EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that remains far from certain.
The Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Supporters contend that customers need clear information and while traditional names must exclusively describe products derived from animals.
"An escalope and sausages represent products from animal farming: not laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the move unnecessary regulation.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
The marks another effort to regulate these terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in four years ago.
France earlier introduced a national ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in this year.
Industry and Consumer Reaction
Major German retailers such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that changing established terms would mislead consumers.
Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that most consumers understand these names as long as items are clearly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost seventy percent of shoppers understand these names as long as items are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.
What Next
This legislative measure now requires review by European governments, where it needs to obtain broad support to become law.
Given the mixed views within both politicians and the general population, the future of this initiative is still unclear.
