European Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Based Terms for Plant-Based Foods
During a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to reserve food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods.
What the Decision Signifies
Should the measure is implemented, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to be renamed across EU countries.
However, before the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that remains uncertain.
Key Arguments Surrounding the Proposal
Proponents argue that customers need clear labeling and that meat terms should only describe products derived from livestock.
"A steak or a sausage are products from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author.
Opponents, led by Green MEPs, described the decision populist maneuvering.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz.
Previous Attempts and Judicial Background
This isn't the first effort to control such terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
France earlier enacted a domestic restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under EU law in this year.
Business and Public Reaction
Leading Germany's retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that changing familiar names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups point to surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology as long as items are explicitly labelled plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC.
What Comes Next
The legislative measure next faces review by European governments, where it needs to secure majority approval to be enacted.
Considering the divided views within both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal remains unclear.
