🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Foods In a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods. The Vote Means Should this proposal becomes law, common vegetarian products like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to be renamed throughout EU markets. However, for the ban to take effect, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain. Key Arguments Behind the Proposal Proponents contend that customers require clear labeling and that meat terms must only describe items derived from animals. "An escalope and sausages are goods from our livestock: not from laboratory art or plant products," said France's lawmaker Céline Imart. Critics, led by Green MEPs, called the move political maneuvering. "Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Legal Background This marks another attempt to control these terminology. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020. The French government earlier enacted a domestic ban on traditional names for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under EU law in this year. Business and Consumer Reaction Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that altering familiar names would confuse shoppers. Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that most shoppers comprehend product labels when products are properly marked as vegan. "Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize the terminology provided items are clearly marked plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Following the Vote This proposal next faces review by European governments, where it must obtain broad approval to be enacted. Given the divided views among both politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains uncertain.