🔗 Share this article European Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods During a significant decision this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms such as "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products. What the Decision Means If the measure is implemented, common plant-based items like veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to be renamed across European Union countries. Nevertheless, before the ban to take effect, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, which remains far from certain. The Debate Surrounding the Proposal Supporters contend that customers require transparent labeling and that traditional names should exclusively describe products derived from livestock. "A steak and sausages represent products from animal farming: not laboratory art nor vegetable sources," stated France's MEP Céline Imart. Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless regulation. "Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Legal Context The marks another attempt to regulate these names. The European parliament voted down a similar ban in four years ago. France previously enacted a domestic ban on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024. Business and Consumer Response Leading Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing established names would confuse consumers. Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that the majority of shoppers understand product labels when products are properly marked as vegetarian. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided products are clearly marked plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC. What Comes Next This legislative measure now requires review by European governments, where it must secure broad support to be enacted. Given the divided opinions within both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative remains unclear.