🔗 Share this article EU Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Based Terms for Vegetarian Foods In a major decision this week, European Parliament members decided 355 to 247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products. What the Vote Means Should the measure becomes law, popular plant-based items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to change their names throughout EU markets. However, before the restriction to take effect, it must receive support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which is uncertain. The Arguments Surrounding the Measure Supporters contend that consumers need transparent labeling and while traditional names must exclusively describe items derived from animals. "A steak or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not laboratory art or vegetable sources," said France's MEP Céline Imart. Critics, including environmental lawmakers, called the decision political tactics. "Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, only rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Past Attempts and Legal Context This isn't the first effort to control such terminology. The European parliament voted down a similar prohibition in 2020. France earlier introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under EU law in 2024. Business and Public Reaction Leading German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, cautioning that altering established terms would mislead consumers. Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that the majority of consumers understand these names when items are properly marked as vegan. "Almost 70% of consumers recognize these names as long as products are explicitly marked plant-based," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC. What Next The proposal now faces consideration by European governments, and it must obtain broad approval to be enacted. Given the divided views among both lawmakers and the general population, the outcome of the proposal is still uncertain.