🔗 Share this article EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Plant-Based Foods During a major decision this week, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms such as "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods. What the Decision Means If the measure becomes law, common plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel could have to change their names throughout EU markets. However, before the ban to be enforced, it must gain support from most of the 27 EU member states, which is uncertain. The Debate Behind the Measure Proponents argue that customers require transparent labeling and while meat terms must only refer to items from livestock. "A steak or a sausage represent products from animal farming: not from synthetic production nor plant products," said France's lawmaker Céline Imart. Opponents, led by Green MEPs, called the move unnecessary restriction. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Previous Efforts and Legal Context This marks another attempt to control such names. EU lawmakers voted down a similar prohibition in four years ago. The French government earlier enacted a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it invalid under EU law in this year. Business and Public Reaction Leading German retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that altering familiar terms would confuse shoppers. Advocacy organizations cite research showing that the majority of consumers understand these names when items are clearly identified as vegan. "Almost seventy percent of consumers recognize these names as long as items are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Following the Vote This legislative measure next requires consideration by European governments, where it needs to secure broad support to be enacted. Given the mixed views within both lawmakers and the general population, the future of this initiative remains unclear.