đź”— Share this article European Parliament Decide to Ban Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Foods In a significant vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products. What the Decision Means Should the measure becomes law, popular plant-based products such as veggie burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to change their names across European Union countries. Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from most of the 27 EU member states, which remains far from certain. The Debate Behind the Measure Supporters contend that customers require transparent information and while meat terms must only describe items from livestock. "A steak and sausages are products from animal farming: not from laboratory art nor plant products," stated French MEP CĂ©line Imart. Opponents, including Green MEPs, described the decision unnecessary restriction. "Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Past Attempts and Judicial Background This marks another effort to regulate such terminology. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable prohibition in 2020. France earlier introduced a national ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under EU law in 2024. Business and Consumer Response Leading German retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that altering familiar terms would confuse consumers. Consumer groups cite research showing that most consumers comprehend product labels when items are properly identified as vegan. "Nearly seventy percent of shoppers recognize the terminology as long as items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer expert at BEUC. What Following the Vote This proposal next requires consideration by EU member states, and it needs to secure majority approval to become law. Given the divided opinions among both politicians and the public, the future of this initiative remains unclear.