🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products In a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" solely for meat products. The Vote Means If this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based products such as plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to change their names throughout EU countries. However, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to gain support from most of the EU's 27 countries, something that remains far from certain. The Arguments Behind the Proposal Proponents argue that consumers require clear information and while meat terms should only refer to items from livestock. "An escalope or a sausage represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production or plant products," stated French lawmaker Céline Imart. Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, called the move populist tactics. "Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Judicial Background The isn't the first attempt to regulate these terminology. EU lawmakers voted down a comparable prohibition in four years ago. The French government previously enacted a national ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in 2024. Industry and Consumer Response Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that altering established names would mislead consumers. Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that most shoppers comprehend these names when products are properly identified as vegetarian. "Almost 70% of consumers recognize these names provided items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC. What Comes Following the Vote The legislative measure now requires consideration by European governments, and it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted. Considering the mixed opinions among both lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of the proposal is still unclear.