🔗 Share this article European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods In a major vote this week, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products. The Decision Signifies If this proposal becomes law, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to change their names across European Union countries. However, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which remains far from certain. Key Arguments Behind the Measure Proponents argue that consumers require clear labeling and while traditional names must exclusively describe products from animals. "An escalope or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author. Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the move populist tactics. "Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Judicial Context This marks another effort to control such terminology. EU lawmakers rejected a similar ban in 2020. France previously enacted a domestic restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year. Business and Consumer Response Major Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that altering established terms would mislead shoppers. Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that most consumers comprehend product labels when items are properly marked as vegetarian. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided products are clearly marked plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Comes Next The legislative measure next requires review by EU member states, and it needs to secure majority approval to be enacted. Considering the mixed views among various politicians and the public, the future of this initiative remains unclear.