European Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Products
During a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms such as "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products.
What the Vote Means
If the measure is implemented, popular plant-based products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to be renamed across EU countries.
Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to receive support from most of the EU's 27 member states, something that is far from certain.
The Debate Surrounding the Measure
Proponents argue that customers need transparent labeling and while meat terms must exclusively describe items from animals.
"A steak and sausages are goods from our livestock: not synthetic production nor plant products," stated France's lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the move political tactics.
"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Legal Background
The marks another effort to control such names. The European parliament voted down a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a domestic restriction on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year.
Business and Consumer Response
Major Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that altering familiar terms would confuse consumers.
Consumer groups cite research indicating that most consumers understand these names when items are properly identified as vegetarian.
"Almost 70% of shoppers recognize these names as long as products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Next
This proposal now requires review by EU member states, where it needs to obtain broad approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided opinions within various politicians and the public, the outcome of the proposal remains unclear.
