🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods During a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names such as "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products. The Vote Means If this proposal becomes law, common vegetarian products such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to change their names throughout EU countries. However, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, something that remains uncertain. The Debate Surrounding the Measure Proponents contend that consumers need transparent information and while traditional names must exclusively refer to products from livestock. "An escalope and sausages are goods from animal farming: not synthetic production nor plant products," stated France's MEP Céline Imart. Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the move unnecessary restriction. "Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Efforts and Legal Background The marks another attempt to control these terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago. The French government earlier introduced a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under European legislation in 2024. Industry and Consumer Reaction Major Germany's supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing familiar names would mislead shoppers. Advocacy organizations cite research indicating that the majority of shoppers comprehend these names as long as products are properly marked as vegetarian. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers recognize the terminology provided products are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Comes Next The legislative measure next faces consideration by EU member states, where it needs to obtain broad support to become law. Considering the divided opinions within both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal is still unclear.