🔗 Share this article EU Parliament Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods During a significant vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided 355 to 247 to reserve food names such as "burger" and "schnitzel" solely for animal-derived foods. The Decision Signifies If the measure is implemented, popular plant-based products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to change their names across EU countries. Nevertheless, for the restriction to take effect, it needs to receive support from most of the 27 EU countries, something that remains far from certain. The Arguments Behind the Measure Supporters contend that customers need clear information and that meat terms should exclusively refer to items derived from animals. "A steak or a sausage represent goods from our livestock: not synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author. Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the move pointless regulation. "Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Past Efforts and Judicial Context This isn't the first effort to control these names. EU lawmakers voted down a similar ban in four years ago. The French government previously enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in 2024. Industry and Public Response Major German supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, warning that altering familiar names would mislead consumers. Advocacy organizations cite research showing that the majority of consumers understand product labels as long as products are clearly marked as vegetarian. "Almost seventy percent of consumers understand these names as long as items are clearly marked plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC. What Next This proposal next faces consideration by European governments, where it must obtain broad approval to be enacted. Given the divided opinions among both politicians and the public, the future of the proposal is still unclear.