🔗 Share this article EU Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods During a significant vote this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for animal-derived foods. What the Decision Means Should the measure is implemented, common vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to change their names throughout European Union markets. Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, something that remains far from certain. The Arguments Surrounding the Proposal Proponents contend that consumers need clear information and that meat terms must only describe products derived from animals. "An escalope or a sausage represent products from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor plant products," said France's MEP Céline Imart. Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the decision populist tactics. "Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only rightwing politicians," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Legal Background The isn't the first effort to regulate such names. The European parliament voted down a similar prohibition in 2020. The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under European legislation in 2024. Business and Consumer Reaction Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that altering established names would confuse consumers. Advocacy organizations point to research showing that most consumers comprehend product labels when products are clearly marked as vegetarian. "Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology provided items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Comes Next This proposal now faces consideration by EU member states, and it needs to secure broad support to be enacted. Considering the mixed opinions among both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal is still unclear.