🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Products During a major vote on Wednesday, MEPs decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products. What the Vote Signifies Should the measure becomes law, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout EU markets. Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which remains far from certain. The Arguments Behind the Measure Proponents contend that customers need clear labeling and that traditional names should only refer to items derived from livestock. "A steak and sausages represent goods from our livestock: not from laboratory art nor plant products," said French lawmaker Céline Imart. Opponents, including environmental lawmakers, called the decision political tactics. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage don't mislead consumers, only certain lawmakers," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Legal Background This isn't the first effort to regulate such names. The European parliament rejected a similar ban in 2020. France earlier introduced a national ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts determined it illegal under EU law in 2024. Industry and Consumer Response Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, warning that altering familiar names would mislead consumers. Consumer groups point to surveys indicating that most consumers understand product labels when items are clearly marked as vegetarian. "Almost 70% of consumers understand these names as long as products are clearly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Following the Vote This proposal now requires review by EU member states, where it must secure majority approval to become law. Considering the divided opinions among various politicians and the public, the future of the proposal remains unclear.